


Golden Tears

by Fluffysnightmare



Category: D.N. Angel
Genre: F/M, Flying, Hacking, Mental Instability, Mind Control, Past Character Death, Risa is annoying, Slow Build, Spying, Swearing, Teenage Drama, mild animal violence, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2018-09-27 12:52:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10021532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffysnightmare/pseuds/Fluffysnightmare
Summary: After Dark steals yet another artwork at the museum, Inspector Saehara, pissed off, calls an old friend of his, an agent from the Federal department, for help with the Dark case. Only problem: he brings his two daughters, that he has trained himself to help with this work. And the eldest, Kage, is determined to prove herself. Even if it involves handling art, thieves, mystical creatures, and ancient secrets while juggling with her daily classes.But of course, that was before Fate got involved.That was before she actually met Krad...And now that the two angels face a danger like never before, Kage may be the only one able to free them... one way or another.





	1. Introduction

The sky was ink black above the museum. There was no wind, no moon, and the stars shone weakly. But on the ground, it was far from silent: everywhere, policemen, cars, media vans and an insanely huge amount of people were crowding the park, all trying to get inside -without much success. There was a word on every lips: Dark.

The security was incredibly strong. Helicopters, projectors, and high tech security system; but they all knew that it would be useless to try and stop the Phantom Thief. And he knew it too. If not, why would he parade around in the sky, mocking the police, at every robbery he did? Inspector Saehara was shouting orders at everyone, clearly worried: it was well past midnight, and still no sign of Dark Mousy. Was he late? Was he going to shy away, and not come at all? Or was he already in there, unnoticed? The questions were hanging heavy in the air. And that was basically everything that was happening, again and again, until the alarm rang, announcing someone breaking into the museum.

Once again, the elusive Phantom Thief had striked.

 

*Later*

Inspector Saehara was pissed. No, I mean, **really** pissed. It was the anniversary of Dark's return, and once again, the black angel had fled -with the Crying Fairy, a 5 feet high stone statue, for God's sake! And just under their noses too!

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in the man's head. He needed someone that could hunt down Dark, someone skilled... and he knew precisely of someone that fit the man was an old friend of his, a famous agent in the Federals, until he settled down and found a wife... But maybe he would accept one more job. Saehara pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

_"Hello, Sarani residence, Kurosuke speaking. How may I be of service?"_


	2. WHAT?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sarani family comes to town.

"What the hell?"

"Language, Kage, we're in a civilised country!"

I rolled my eyes. That's **so** something my father would say.

"So you're telling me that in less than a week, we are leaving the house I lived in my **entire life** , just to go play tag with some petty thief just because one of your old pals from the academy said so? Are you kidding me?"

Dad sighed. "I knew you would react like this... This is not for the job, Kage... We really need to try something new, to get some changes, to forget about..." "Mom's death?" I finished for him.

"You, Kurosuke Sarani, are the only one living in the past. I have friends and people I love here, Dad. And you want me to just... leave it all?"

"Listen, Kage..."

"I'm not listening to **anything** you have to say! That's not because **your** life was ruined that you have to wreck mine as well!" I shouted before running off.

 

* * *

 

 

I knew that no matter how hurtful my words, it wouldn't make him change his mind; but at least, he knew how I felt. Mom had died three years ago, in... less than ideal circumstances, and since then, I had taken up the role, for my dad, and for my sister. For him to accept this offer to leave our home so easily, and say this so casually, as if it didn't matter at all... It felt like a betrayal.

And it hurt.

Badly.

With a sigh, I dried up my tears and started tidying my room. If we were indeed moving next week, I would have to pack anyways.

 

* * *

 

Later in the afternoon, after my sister Sukai came back home and Dad broke the news to her, there was a shouting match. Yep, she was even more upset than me about this. At first, I came down to shut them up, but soon, the shouting contest turned three-sided, and continued until we had to make a break for water. By then, it became a glaring contest, and we spent the evening in a very bad mood, and not once did I think about the date. Well, I should have, because in a week, the day of the departure there was my birthday. And none of my friends would be there to spend it with me.

The rest of the week passed like a second. Before I had realised, we had packed our stuff and were gone. I glanced a last time at my house -my home- before the surrounding hills swallowed it forever. With this, the part of my past that belonged to my mother was truly gone. I clenched my jaw and turned my gaze back to the book in my lap. That's only when I saw the wet spots on the paper that I realised that I was crying.

 

* * *

 

 

"So... Is that our new house?"

I couldn't say 'home'. I couldn't even think it. There was nothing in this house that was different from the others, nothing that made it special like home should be. There were hundreds of houses like this, all different, and yet all looking the same. Yet it was still a nice view, I guess... Two stories tall, painted in a yellowish white with lines of light blue and bright white on the edges of the windows. The roof was as red as red could be, clashing against the lighter tones. For what I already knew, there was a basement, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a medium-sized kitchen. With the midday sun hitting the front walls and bouncing against the windows, it looked pretty good. Faintly, I heard Dad say "I guess it is... Do you like it?"

Still entranced, I nodded slowly.

"Well... This is better that I thought..." said Sukai. I rolled my eyes. The house was utterly empty and had probably been for years. For what I could see, we were in a huge living-room, large enough to store four to five cars and still have place to move. The kitchen was facing us on the other side of the large space, easily recognizable with the sink, the stove (why the hell was it still here?) and the fridge (again, what the hell?). There were large glass doors letting the light pass on this side, reflecting white on the dust grey, naked walls. On the right, we could see a passage bathed in shadows and disappearing on the other side of the house, and, nearly unnoticeable on the corner opposed to us, stairs turning towards the second floor.

"This place **really** needs some cleaning before we can do anything else." I said.

And that's how we moved in. At the end of the day, the living room was shining white again, and all the dust was on our bodies. Well, except for Sukai: she had been occupied with reetablishing the elecricity, water, gaz... and making us dinner. And now that I had a perfect occasion for having a hot shower, I would **not** waste it. So I untied the kerchief protecting my nose and mouth, and let my dark brown hair fall in waves around my shoulders.

A look at said hair told me that the setting sun had given my bangs copper highlights. "Pretty..." I mumbled, and absently twirled a lock between two fingers. Yep, pretty alright, but it still needed washing. So I climbed the stairs, noticing that the fifth step was creaking, and two minutes later, I was rubbing my arms raw under a scalding hot shower.

The scent of the cotton milk soap soothed me, and seeing the water turn black and grimy as the dirt left my skin helped as well. Finally, clean and relaxed with red skin, I took a towel and dried up. I was about to get in my pajamas when I heard my sister scream from downstairs:

"Kage! Get done with the shower! Dinner's ready and you better be there in five seconds!"

Am I supposed to answer that? Seriously? I mean, that's so typical of her.

 

* * *

 

 

There is something you should know about me. I hate rude awakenings. So when Sukai screamed her head off in my ears at 7 o'clock this morning, I reacted on instinct, slapped her off like an alarm clock, and turned over to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, she started shrieking like a banshee, and, sighing, I had to say goodbye to the sweet warmth of my sleeping bag. It's just impossible to sleep when Sukai has her mouth open. So I got up, apologized, listened with one ear to Dad's lecture about hitting people and self-control, and got in the kitchen to make breakfast. And then I fell asleep between my toasts and milk. What can I say? I'm not a morning person.

After breakfast, we went to clean and install our things upstairs. While rubbing the floors and the walls raw, my mind started to wander. We had to finish installing today, for tomorrow we had school. School. That's right, new city, new home, new life... and new school. And tomorrow, I would finally be able to claim everywhere I was 15. Oh yeah! That's right, it's my birthday today. Heh. Worst birthday **ever**. I feel like Cinderella, scrubbing the floor like a maid and getting dust in my face. I used my forearm to wipe my teary eyes. What I wouldn't give to be in my old home right now!

The day passed slowly, morning spent cleaning, and afternoon installing my stuff in their final places. When the sun got down, the place already felt a bit more like home. The living room now had a couch, a TV, and a big table with our three computers, the kitchen had cooking pans, the bathrooms towels. As for my room, it was smaller than Sukai's, but I had a white and orange mezzanin with my bed on it. The curtains were light blue, the carpet orange. Abig wooden desk had my luggage on it, and a couch the same colour as the carpet filled the remaining space. I sighed, muscles screaming, and started unpacking.

 

* * *

 

 

"Kage... Kage, time to wake up..."

I blinked once. Twice. What was Dad doi- oh right! I have school. I checked the watch on my wrist, sighed, and got up. Goodbye, beauty sleep! Breakfast, clothes, teeth, and hair: 15 minutes. Shoes, coat, 1 minute. I caught some money on the table for the bus and rushed outside just as Sukai got down the stairs. It then became a race to the bus stop. And when we got there -me first, of course-, panting heavily, the bus was approaching. I took a look at my watch, reminding myself to get up sooner or next time, I might miss the bus.

And while it was taking us to school, I continued reading my book, pausing here and there to glance at the landscape. The sunlight was barely grazing the highest trees, bathing the cliffs and surrounding hills in scarlet and orange light. The sea had been painted red and golden, and the thin clouds near the skyline were pastel pink. It was a beautiful morning. Perfect for a first day in a new school. I crossed my fingers, hoping to make friends as good as the ones I had to leave at home. And... Maybe I should stop saying 'home'. My life was here, now. It would be better to get used to it, make friends, fall in love, and... GET THE HELL OUT OF THE BUS RIGHT NOW! THAT'S MY STOP!

 

* * *

 

 

Half an hour later. I sighed. I had spent the last quarter hour to find my way in the maze that was Azumano, walking down one way after another, trying desperately to find my school. With no results. I was really going to be late, now. I looked around, if I could just find a clue or something... a sign, a teacher, an uniform... Wait. Uniform? I turned around just in time to avoid being ran over by a seemingly very hurried redhead in a red and white school uniform. Here's my chance! I huffed, tightened the straps of my bag and started to run after him, but hey! He was pretty fast! Well that's okay, I'm fast too. I caught on to him after a handful of seconds, and stopped him neatly. Oh Stars in Heaven, I swear his face turned as red as his hair!

"Are you in Azumano High?" I asked. He stared blankly at me for a few seconds before stuttering "Huh? Oh, erm... Yes..."

"Great!" I beamed. "So you can show me the way to school!"

He looked lost, so I explained.

"It's my first day, I moved in Azumano last week. I'm Kage, by the way."

"Uh... Da-Daisuke Niwa."

"Happy to meet you, Da-daisuke!" I laughed.

Ooh, I think I just found myself a new hobby: teasing this poor redhead to no end. I swear, he blushes harder than a tomato! My day just got infinitely better...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sukai: sky


	3. or: What happened on that first day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A serie of firsts: first day of school, first impressions, first friend, first heist, first mystery  
> Enjoy!

"Well, it's go time."

Ugh, I'm so nervous right now, I think I might puke. I rearranged the folds of my shirt, pushed a few stray strands behind my ear, tried a smile in the glass of the window...

"You can come in, dear!" said a voice on the other side of the door. I think that was the teacher. So I took a deep breath, opened the door and faced the curious looks of the class. I immediately noticed the mop of fiery red hair sticking out. If it's not the redhead from before! That might actually be fun! I smirked, took a few steps, and bowed deeply.

"Hello. _Watashi wa_ Sarani Kage. I moved in Azumano recently because of my Dad's work. Please take care of me."

I then straightened myself and waited for their reaction. Well, I did not have to wait long: everyone jumped from their seats to ask me questions. It's incredible how fast things can go from calm to messy, it was as if the class had exploded. And I was suddenly assaulted by a dozen teenagers, all brandishing something. A notebook, an agenda, a phone, a camera...

Wait! A camera?

WTF? I don't want to end up on the net! I glared at the boy waving it in front of my face while asking questions so fast I couldn't understand.

O-kay, that will not do. I stepped forwards, feigned to slip, stepped on the boy's foot, making him yelp and drop the camera... That I caught without him noticing and put on the teacher's desk. Yep! Great one, Kage! I guess all the training Dad made me go through can actually be useful here. I then slipped away from the crowd, checked the unoccupied desks, and chose one without any males around: a lone desk in the back of the class, between a window and a doe-eyed brunette with more ribbons in her hair and clothes that I've seen in most dolls. Ugh. I've never been a big fan of bows, pink, ribbons and glitter, and that girl was like... a Ribbon Queen. Good thing she doesn't seems interested in me.

 

* * *

 

Time passed a bit too quickly for my tastes. Before I knew it, the dreaded lunch break was on us. I bolted for the door as soon as the bell rang, too quick for anyone to follow, and ran for dear life to the nearest stairs. My goal? The roof. The flat roof I had noticed when coming in the building. After some dead ends and wrong turns, I finally pulled open the last door, and stared in awe.

"Wow... "

It was so calm. The sky was bright blue and without a single cloud, and the air already felt more pure and salty, with a light chill from the winter.

I filled my lungs with oxygen, sat in a corner, unpacked my lunch, my IPod, my book. (In case you're wondering, I multitask rather well, so eating while reading is no great feat to me.) All the while thinking about what I had learnt about my classmates. So far, I had memorised the names of three of them: Saehara Takeshi, the camera boy -he loves journalism, cooks like a chef, his Dad is in the police-, Risa Harada -has a twin named Riku, sit next to me, is in love with a "Mr Dark" and the way she talks about him is slightly disturbing, in the fangirl kind of way- and last but not least, Niwa Daisuke, alias "the redhead" - Nice boy, too innocent for his own good, easily bullied, cute as a bunny. Still... I wonder if Niwa is not schizophrenic or something... He spent the whole morning muttering to himself like if he was having a conversation while glancing left and right whenever I looked at him. I swear I caught him blushing again. So yeah, there are some really interesting people around here. And why in the Star's name does the name "Dark" sound familiar? Oh well... I think I'll find out soon enough. For now, I should just enjoy my day.

I miss home.

 

* * *

 

Afternoon.

When I returned in class, there were only a few people inside. Some boys, a pair of girls... And from the looks of things, they didn't leave at all. Hm, interesting... So they were the only ones that weren't in hysterics about me, it seems... Niwa was here, his fiery hair clashing with the white of the walls, talking to a girl with short brown hair, and the same face as Risa's. Probably Riku Harada. It seems like they like each other, that's good to know. That girl looks tough enough to drive bullies away should one have a go at that chibi-eyed boy. I turned around. Not anyone else that I knew, of face or of name. Nor anyone that seemed interesting. But at the corner of my eye, I noticed something blue; It was a calm-looking boy with big glasses, his dark eyes looking at a notebook. His hair was the most incredible shade of blue I've ever seen. Darker than baby blue, lighter than sky blue. Almost azure. Wow.

The bell rang, breaking the spell. I turned around and tried to find out where was my seat. As I was sitting down, the rest of the class arrived, looking winded. Heh! So they **did** chase me all over the school grounds! Too bad for them if I know how to hide!

I took out my books as soon as the teacher came in. Time to work. I was determined to spend the hour working and trying to understand the current history chapter, but as time passed, my thoughts began to wander. My gaze circled the room, passing over every head focused on their notebooks. All except one. The blue-head. He was gazing at the window not one book opened. Hell, he didn't even have a pencil on his desk! I gently elbowed my neighbour.

"What?" she whispered.

"Who's that boy next to the window? The one with blue hair..."

She looked over my shoulder and chuckled.

"That's Hiwatari Satoshi. He never studies. Rumor is that he already graduated, and went to a prestigious university. He's cute, don't you think?"

I frowned, and ignored the comment. "If that's true, why would he come back to high school in a little god-forsaked town?"

She shrugged. "Dunno, don't care. Every girl in Azumano likes him, and he turned each one down. That guy is gorgeous, but he's a lunatic."

I nodded. Very interesting, indeed. I made a note to myself to make a little research on that guy. And got back to work.

Time passed slowly. I could hear the clock ticking in my head as I tried in vain to focus. But you should know me better. My mind was long gone before I could even realise it. I dreamt of home. Of Sukai. Of my now lost friends. Of my father. Of...

 

**RIINNNNG!**

 

WTH? Half the class jumped, me included. The sound was coming from my backpack, and I had a good idea of what it was, and why it was ringing. I'm going to kill you, Dad. I took out the phone, ignoring the whispers of my classmates, and opened it. Yep. Good guess.

"Excuse me for a minute. It's my dad, so it must be important. Well, it better be." I said before exiting the class without even waiting for the answer.

 

* * *

 

"Hello dad."

"Hi, Kage, how are you doi..."

"Cut the crap, dad. I was in the middle of a class. Doesn't that count as ' _busy, call me later_ '? Can't you just check the hour before calling or just friggin' **text me** instead?" I heard a little nervous laugh.

"Well, you see, I've got some news from my friend, and..."

"Get to the point, dad, I haven't got all day."

Deep breath. I braced myself for a long tirade.

"I'vegottostayuntiloneinthemorningtonightformyjobsoIwon'tbehomeattime!"

I took a time to process what he had said.

"And what: the house is locked and you forgot the key?"

"... How did you guess?"

"Do you have any ideas of where Sukai or I might sleep tonight?"

"Um... No?"

"Are you sure you're not a complete **idiot** , dad?"

"Well..."

I paused. Sighed. And continued in a softer tone.

" **You** will break the news to Sukai. I will try and arrange a sleepover with my classmates, and she gets to gut you later. With a ruler. Is that all?"

"Well... Actually, I forgot to bring a meal with me. So if you could..."

"You're a moron, dad. And you. Owe. Me. Big time." I said before hanging up.

Pissed, I glared at the black screen. How was I supposed to buy a meal for dad **without money** , find a place for my sister to stay tonight, and actually **find** the museum, when I can get lost in a train station filled with signs? I sighed again. It really **is** my worst day ever.

"Great way to start school..."

 

* * *

 

Kurosuke's PoV

I sighed, phone still in my hand, and finally allowed shivers to run up my spine. Brr... It really sucked. Kage could be scary when she wanted to, and you better not be in the neighbourhood when she was pissed. I closed my phone and put it in my pocket.

"Who was it?"

I turned around. It was Saehara-san. I let out a smile, and said:

"It's alright. That was my daughter, Kage."

"You sure? You look pretty spooked."

"Yeah, she is quite creepy whenever she's angry. Got it from her mother." I said, smiling. My friend tilted his head, looking at me strangely.

"What?"

He shrugged. "You've changed, Sarani-san. The Kurosuke I knew twenty years ago was a ruthless man, a brilliant strategist who never let emotions get the better of him."

I grinned. "I'm still him, you know? I'm still the man who could shoot a man's ankle when he was running away. But I've become a husband, then a father. I learnt how to smile, how to enjoy life, to hope for the future of my family, and not my country or personnal carrier... I'm sure you would understand, you have a child too, right?"

My friend shook his head

"Just... Let's just get to work, okay? Dark is announced for midnight, so we still have about 9 hours to prepare. Do you have a plan?"

"Why, yes of course! But I can't tell you anything until my daughter gets here."

Saehara-san frowned. "Even if it's your daughter, how do you think she would help catching Dark?"

"I grinned. "Trust me, Saehara-san, if someone can find out about Dark's mystery, it's Kage. She is a great tactitian, especially when put in a critical situation."

"Let's hope so..."

 

* * *

 

Kage PoV

When I came back in class, I was greeted by wide eyes and dropped jaws. Even the teacher looked flabbergasted. I sweatdropped.

"Let me guess... Everyone heard?"

Collective nods. I sighed.

Just.

Great.

"Sorry. You would be angry too if you had suddenly learned that you won't be able to go home tonight because your father has some _'emergency'_ at his workplace and, what's worse, _'conveniently'_ forgot to leave keys under the mat... I don't even know where my sister and I will sleep tonight..." I finished bitterly.

"Is that true?" said a soft voice. I chuckled dryly.

"Well, I already know I'll have to go at Dad's work to bring him dinner. Bcause of course he forgot that too. What's concerning me is my sister. If she can't get home, she's going to panic." I added, refusing to swallow myself in self-pity.

There was a moment of silence, then the same soft voice said:

"She can stay at our home, if you want. It's actuall quite large..."

I looked at the owner of the voice. It was Risa's twin: Riku Harada. I blinked once. Twice. Then my brain finally processed what she had said, and a smile lit my face. I beamed.

"It would be perfect! Thank you! Thank you so very much!"

It was at this moment that my classmates realised something: the safest way to get me to smile was through my sister. My Sukai.

 

* * *

 

"So... Good evening?"

Sukai laughed. "Sure! Work hard, be nice, and have fun!" she said, quoting Dad. And then she got serious.

"Be safe, okay? And don't forget to kick Dad's ass for me."

"You bet I will." I chuckled, putting a light kiss on her forehead.

And then I was off. It was 5.30 pm, and I had just left my sister in the Harada twin's care, after borrowing just enough money to buy something to eat. I would return the money tomorrow, first thing in the morning. With that thought, I ran down the alleys, making my way to the museum. I would have to stop at a market or something -I still needed to buy that bento- but if the informations Risa had given me were exact, then I just couldn't get lost. Besides, I planned on get there quick. I had a strange feeling about tonight. Something was telling me Dad didn't make me come just for a bento. But who knew what was going on in that strange head of his? I made a note to myself to ask him, and maybe grab a can of Coke at the market: if I was going to stay awake and on guard tonight for whatever Dad had planned, I would need the extra sugar and caffeine.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I almost missed the marketplace. My shoes screeched loudly against the hard asphalt at my sudden skid and stop. And it made the people around twitch. I smirked, waving off the irritated glares, and entered the market. In the next five following minutes, I had bought a very large bento that I could share with Dad, a bottle of beer for Dad and a can of Coke for me. Maybe I'll just try to bribe him into telling me what he has planned if he doesn't want to. I know he just **loves** those locally made beers. I don't know if tonight will be fun, but it certainly won't be boring. And with that idea in mind, I started running anew.

 

-15 mins later-

 

Aww, man! I panted heavily beside the guard, totally out of breath. I was near the museum's back entrance, and getting blocked by the security that my **dad** commanded was not in my list of priorities, so I straightened myself and asked politely.

"Excuse me. I need to see Mr Sarani Kurosuke, the special agent that was called for tonight. It's really urgent."

He eyed me suspiciously, making me reel instinctively.

"What?"

He continued with his strange look. "Are you one of Dark's fangirls? Because if you are..."

"Wait!" I stopped him. "Is Dark the ' _famous_ ' thief everyone is talking about?"

Nod. The gears in my head began turning lightning fast.

"Why would Dad make me come here just to arrest a petty thief, he should know better than this... Unless..." My eyes widened as I finally realised. "... he's the reason why we moved in the first place! The ' _help about a case'_ is arresting that Dark!"

I bolted for the door, leaving behind me a very confused man. Dark. If it really was because of him that we had to move here... Then he was going to pay, pay dearly for messing with my life! I had just branded him as my prey. And I never ever let one escape. I stormed in the camera room and gripped Dad's arms like if my sanity depended on it.

"Dad! It's him, right?"

 

* * *

 

Satoshi's PoV

Stunned, I stared at the girl gripping Sarani-san with vehemence. Messy hair, panting heavily, eyes glinting with a crazy look... Where was she coming from? And did she just call Sarani-san 'Dad'? I was sure I had already seen her somewhere, but I couldn't remember. Let's see... Pale skin, black hair... very average height...

_**:: Sigh... She's in your class, Satoshi-sama. The new student, remember?::** _

I tensed. Now, what was that, just now? Krad **actually** answering me? I huffed.

_**:: Shut up, Krad.::** _

Well... He was still right. It really was the new girl, the one that tripped Saehara-kun at the beginning of the class. Sarani Kage, I think. So, it means her wayward father... really **is** Sarani-san? The special agent that came to resolve Dark's case and has a list of military honors longer than Krad's ponytail?

_**:: Hey! What's wrong with my ponytail?::** _

_**::Did you hear me when I told you to shut up?::** _

I focused on the conversation going on between father and daughter.

"So that's why you wanted me here... To lure him out?"

"Well, more like study him. You're the only one I know that wouldn't focus on his looks or his skills but focus on the task at hand and make a full and precise job without fail. Besides, you always notice everything when you really want to, you've got a very logic mind, and last but not least, Dark wouldn't hurt a girl." said Sarani-san with a warm smile.

"Hmm... If only for security and proofs, I would need my ' _special kit_ ', you know?"

"It's right here, I took it with me this morning." he said while pointing at his desk.

Kage then made a blinding smile, positively beaming, and cradled the bag to her chest

"Thank you, Dad. I won't disappoint!"

She kissed him on the cheek, then took off her jacket, ignoring the stares from everyone in the room, tied a belt around her waist, and put on it a pouch on one side, and a gun in a holster on the other. She then slid the bag on her shoulders, checked her gun, loaded it... Every single move was screaming professionnal. Her grin was huge, almost exalted. Did that strange girl really think she could catch Dark when everybody had failed? I heard the demon within me chuckle when he read my thoughts.

_**:: I would like to see her try, it could turn out to be interesting... ::** _

 

* * *

 

Kage's PoV

I fastened my belt, checked the toolkit in my pouch, loaded my gun. Everything's there. I was moving fluidly, expertly, but my mind was elsewhere. On tonight's hunt. I was scanning the room for my special boots when my eyes crossed blue ones. Oh, right! Hiwatari was there too, and judging from his insign, he was the Supreme Commander of the police force. And he couldn't be more than fifteen years old too! Well, I couldn't complain since I was myself a special (and unofficial) agent, but still... I would have to check his files if Dad hadn't already. I found my boots next to the door, and as I was putting them on, a strange thought came to my mind. It could just have been a trick of the light... But for a second, I could have sworn his eyes were golden...

 

I breathed in the night air with pure bliss. It was chilly but revigorating. It was almost midnight, and according to the notice -what thief in his right mind would leave a notice, seriously?- Dark would strike at midnight and steal the Dragon's Pearl. I had not seen the artwork myself, but it was supposed to be a masterpiece, so I just **couldn't** let him have it, even if he had to get away. I focused on my situation. According to the police, Dark's favourite way to break in was by the roof. So here I was. I had let the police put as many traps as they wanted, and asked Dad to give me all the keys I would need. I checked my watch. Three, two, one, and...

 

**DOONNG!**

 

The bell rang at a nearby church. That was my signal. I put the recording device on and hid myself behind a wall, my dark clothes and hair blending in the shadows. At the last ring of those bells, I heard a clamor come from the crowd outside the museum. I prepared myself. Seconds later, a strange flapping sound came from behind me. I slowly turned my head and... Great Stars in Heaven! Petrified, I could only watch in shock as _he?_ landed, mighty black wings curving behind him. Why didn't anyone tell me that _Kaito_ Dark was an angel?

 

End of chapter 2

**Next chapter: Witness to an angel fight**


	4. Witness to an Angel's fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Showdown on a rooftop, starring Dark, Kage, and... Krad?

He was tall, dark, with legs that didn't seem to end. Lush purple locks framing his face or spiking up in messy bangs, high cheekbones, sharp nose and chin, cocky grin, tan skin. Silver buckles glowing faintly under the moonlight, in sharp contrast with his black leather outfit. Raven feathers fluttering all around him, blending in the night sky even as his huge charcoal wings arched behind him and closed. He was beautiful, the stuff of romance novels. An angel born of darkness. A Phantom Thief....

And I would catch him, cuff him, and kick his pretty leather-clad ass straight into jail. We had left home because of the ripples that guy was making. Mom's memories had been abandoned there and would never be found again, and it was ultimately his fault. He would pay for it, never mind how hot he was. The thief threw his hair over his shoulder in a careless manner that made my blood boil because it **had** to have been practiced, talking to himself. His voice was a smooth tenor, dark and soft like black velvet. Very fitting.

"Heh! Seems like Creepy Boy is here tonight. And would you believe it, there's a new agent sent by the State too! That's gonna be one hell of a ride, don't ya think?"

The hell? Is he shizo too? Like Niwa? But then I saw Dark **detach** his wings from his back, and they turned into a little fluffball of white rabbit fur. Two huge ruby eyes opened, and the little animal let out a happy "Kyuu!".

... The hell was that? Some kind of magical pet that could change into Dark's wings? That's very, very interesting. And utterly fucked up. I mean, I think all my conceptions about the laws of Nature just died with a whimper, here. The Phantom Thief picked the lock on the door (I made a note to block it from the inside from now on) and said to the rabbit:

"Wiz, stay here and keep watch, okay?"

And to the rabbit to answer "Kyuu!". I rolled my eyes. As if a rabbit would stop me from following him. As soon as the thief disappeared in the shadows, I stepped out of my hiding place. I kicked the bunny aside and ran after the thief as fast as I dared without making too much noise.

 

* * *

 

I stayed one corridor behind, watching him act. He was evading pits, lasers and nets with an agility that spoke of professional, like a mouse would fit into hidden holes. The one who had trained him had done a great job of it. He jumped, ducked, blended in shadows when a guard was passing, as if he was dancing a tango with danger and teasing failure before evading. Sneaky bastard. I followed him on the ' _safe path_ ' he had just traced, making sure to stay perfectly silent as I progressed. He soon arrived at the main exposition room, where his target was likely to be kept, and I drifted in the surrounding shadows, in silence. There was no one in sight. Hmm, strange... Was that Dad's doing? Was he really leaving it to me? Aww, so sweet of him!

Dark started to work on one of the display cases, and I tensed, ready to bolt, stop him, cuff him... A dark chuckle behind me froze me on the spot. I slowly, very slowly turned my head. From where I was, crouching in a dark corner, I could clearly see that white figure approaching quickly without getting discovered... as long as I didn't move. So I remained very still, barely breathing, and watched with more attention that I had ever watched anything in my life.

  
A tall figure stepped out of the darkness of the halls, footsteps light as a feather, breathing calm and even. How did he even get past the traps? I wondered. In the exposition room, I heard Dark startle and hiss a name. "Krad..." Oh? That's his name? Sounds German or something... I looked at the new character with curiosity, unable to see clearly his features until he stepped in the light... I choked on a gasp of surprise.

Did I think Dark was handsome? Scratch that,it was like comparing the neighbour from next door and Michelangelo's David. That angel's skin was pale, the shade of white gold. Tall, slender, gracefully built, he had the same sharp nose as Dark, the same jut to his chin, but that was about it. He had a soft-looking, glorious golden mane flowing like liquid sunlight down to his feet, tied in a high ponytail with a silver cross at it's tip, contrasting with the pure white of his attire. I wondered how his white, gold-embroidered coat that seemed to come straight from the XVIIIe as well as his white mantle could look so good on him when they would be ridiculous on anyone else. He had huge, long-feathered, slightly fluffing, pure white wings on his back, brushing softly against the floor without being touched by even a mere speck of dust. He was ethereal. Unreal. And in my 15 years old mind, drop-dead gorgeous. He really would have been taken for an angel... if not for that dangerous, sparking aura around him. It spoke of chilling power, fiery pain, of frosty rage and burning hate. And I suddenly understood why Dark looked so wary. I'd be scared too if I was the one he looked at lke that. He would have scared anyone who wasn't hypnotized by his light. But I still wanted to get closer. His light, as frightening as it was... Spoke of something else. And I wanted to know what it was just a little bit more than I wanted to flee. But for the moment I would wait and see what happened, be it blood, fire or death.

For the moment, though, it was sass, wit and sarcasm.

 

"You **do** know I can't stand you, right?" Dark said in that cocky manner I was starting to associate with him.

"Tss, you always say the same lame thing each time we meet. Is that the only phrase you know, Mousy? If that is so, I do hope your stupidity isn't contagious." said the golden angel, faking nonchalance. He was obviously trying to make Dark angry. And it was working.

"Shut up! If I am so stupid, how come it was **you** who ended up in the sea last time, huh?" screamed an annoyed Dark.

"... It won't happen twice. Now, stop eyeing this artwork like a dog would a bone and let me kill you , **will you**?"

The white angel shouted, throwing a white gleaming feather at the thief. Who ducked to avoid it. The feather exploded - **exploded**? How dangerous **are** those things, exactly?- against the wall, the shock shattering a window next to it. Dark snickered "Missed me!" and took his chance to escape. He threw a black ball of light at the white angel, turned tail and ran for the window. That didn't stop Krad from following him closely.

 

* * *

 

  
I silently rose up. Took in the state of the room.

  
Window? Broken.

Wall? Scorched. In multiple places.

Floor? Feathers and glass everywhere.

Artwork? Still here, but the display case had been hit by Dark's attack. Let's just say it was a mess.

I stepped in the light, careful of the glass, and took the piece of art. It was a pearl held in the mouth of a golden limbless dragon and thankfully, it was intact. I startled as an explosion rocked the room and ran out of there. Those angels were going to fight, and it seems they weren't going to fly out of the town to do it. So I was going back to the most logical place they would go to: the roof. I had no doubt Dark had already regained his wings -I didn't kick the rabbit **that** hard, thank you. I was so deep in thought that I didn't remember the traps until I came across one. My training and reflexes kicked in, and I did a backflip to avoid the net. O-kay, that won't do. I'm in a hurry, I don't have time to play with laser traps! So I slalomed, cutting the lasers but too fast for them to trigger anything (plus, the traps were behind me, so...). But even with that, it's white as a sheet, panting, and swearing to the Stars to kick whoever had put **snakes** in a **museum** in the ass that I reached the roof's door. And I was welcomed by a smaller version of Armageddon. A fight between Angels. In less poetic, unfortunately.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing I noticed was the feathers. Black and white, dancing together, twisting in the air, falling everywhere. Then I took in the scene, the huge snowy wings flapping like a panicked dove's, chasing their darker twins. Beams of golden light were shot at Krad's target, flashing through the sky like arrows before exploding. Dark's black wings, dark as the sky, were narrowly avoiding the magic spears, flapping like crazy at every turn. Insults were flying as well as feathers and magic, and each angel was dancing graciously around them. Because it was a dance, a deadly one, but still an entrancing, beautiful dance. I could have watched them dance forever... They seemed equals in strenght as well as power... Would it end in a draw?

The white angel took a punch to the chest and a shot to his wing, making him yelp and fall. Nevermind about them being equals. Dark had a clear advantage since the beginning, experience, and if Krad had been able to keep up until now, it was probably because he was so desperate. That's why he was exhausting himself, throwing shot after shot of what **had** to be something magical to the thief. Krad gave a pained cry as a purple ball of light hit him in the back after a daring barrel roll from the thief. He crashed on the roof with a dull sound.

Dust rose.

Settled.

He wasn't moving. Not really. More like twitching. Above us, the black angel produced a feather and snickered.

"Today is the day you finally stop being a nuisance, Krad! Say hi to the Devil for me!"

No. No! NO! I won't let a man be killed in front of me! I acted without thinking -and as always, hindsight is twenty/twenty-. One moment I was safely behind the wall, and the next I was out in the light, my gun in hand. I aimed it at the thief, and shouted:

"Don't you dare!"

 

* * *

 

Dark's PoV

"Don't you dare!"

  
My grin faded. Confused, I looked down for whoever had shouted this. My gaze crossed a furious one. A girl. That I've never seen before. Shoulder-length black hair whipping in the wind, flushed cheeks on a pale-as-a-sheet face, baggy sweatshirt and pants that didn't quite hide her lithe legs and curves... and a Glock 22 aimed at me. A quick glance at it told me it was the real deal and not some toy. I charged the feather in my hand, making it glow faintly purple. She was just a kid. She wouldn't dare shoot me, right? But then she narrowed her eyes, and suddenly, there was no more emotion on her face. Just hard steel eyes that screamed of danger and a stony poker face. I felt a shiver run through my spine. That girl was no amateur, and that gun was pointed at my face. She was probably with the police... and wouldn't hesitate to shoot me. With .40 S&W rounds. Yeah, no thanks. She growled.

"Last warning, thief. Put down the explosive or else..."

I know when to fight and when to flee. And someone with those eyes wouldn't hesitate to kill me. So I turned tail and fled.

  
Too bad for the artwork.

 

* * *

 

Kage PoV

I breathed in deeply, my death grip on the gun finally lessening. He was gone. I had saved his victim, but he was gone. Dad would kill me for sure. I turned towards the remaining angel, who was slowly, laboriously getting up. Even with dirtied clothes and ruffled feathers he was beautiful. But all of his beauty would not hide the burning anger in his eyes. I gulped, but let him put himself together alone and preserve what was left of his dignity. Waiting patiently, eyes averted, while mentally preparing myself for the worst.

Once standing up, he finally acknowledged me. Only to glare at me. I flinched. I couldn't help it. His eyes were like twin daggers of frozen gold, and his slit pupils were making it worse. He could have been a cat gone feral with such a gaze. But I stood my ground. I didn't really know if it was to defy him or because I was hypnotized, but I still held his gaze.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally asked, his smooth tenor as cold as his eyes:

"What were you thinking?"

I gulped silently. Wet my lips. Answered.

"I wasn't really. It was all instinctive, I guess."

He growled lowly. "You should have stayed downstairs with the rest of his **fans**." he said, almost spitting the last word. I held my ground.

"Why? He would have killed you if I hadn't been there. You're welcome, by the way."

He huffed, exasperated.

"Because you aimed a weapon at him, he will come back expecting one and be even more careful that he already is. Because you showed yourself, he will search about you and all your advantages will be gone. And because you didn't have the courage to shoot him, he escaped. With the artwork. **AGAIN!** " he shouted.

I had been chewing on my lip for the entire tirade, wanting to disappear. He was right. I recognized the truth and my mistakes for what they were. But when he mentionned the artwork, I suddenly got angry. Held my hand out to make him shut up, and looked at him in the eyes.

"First, I prefer using my gun to save lives, not take them. He was going to kill you, I stopped him before he could, I don't **friggin' care** if he escaped. There will be other nights. Other chances. And secondly..." I reached in my pocket and showed him the Dragon Pearl. "he didn't take the artwork. I grabbed it before following you two on the roof."

I placed it back in my pocket before adding: "I'll give it to Saehara-san when I go downstairs. He will probably have it back in a display case by tomorrow."

He hummed softly in approval. I smiled. As he was turning to leave though, a thought crossed my mind.

  
"Can I ask you a question before you leave?"

He paused, turning slightly his head to look at me, and nodded.

"Why didn't you attack me? I'm a witness to your fight, your existance, and I let your opponent escape. Aren't you angry?"

He seemed to think about it for a second before answering.

"If I had touched you a hair on your head, your father would have hunted me down. I have enough trouble as it is. I would prefer my existence to remain a secret."

I nodded, understanding the hint in his last sentence. He didn't want me to tell the police.

"I never saw you, never heard about you, and angels doesn't exist anyways."

He nodded with a snort, opened his wings, and took flight. Within seconds, he was gone.

 

* * *

 

"What happened? The exposition room is a mess, and there are feathers everywhere! And why are you gripping your gun like this?"

Dad was worried. It was understandable: there had been no one to check what happened on the roof, except me. I was the only witness to the Angel's fight. I sighed, and patted Dad on the shoulder while walking past him.

"I'll make a report tomorrow, okay? There is way too much in my mind right now..."

  
"What do you mean?"

I smiled wearily.

"Don't worry about it, dad.  It's just... A lot of things happened up there, and I... I don't know what to believe in anymore."

I paused.

"And I need to talk to Saehara-san."

Dad didn't try to stop me. He showed me the way and let me lead without a word, his face a carefully blank mask.

 

* * *

 

Back in the camera room, I asked Saehara:

"Did Dark ever try to attack someone?"

Saehara-san looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

"Dark never harmed anyone. Sometimes, he uses smoke bombs or knocks guards unconscious to take their uniforms, but attacking someone as in ' _trying to harm them_ '... No. Even cornered he takes flight as first option, the most he gave were headaches and sprains. Why are you asking?"

I hummed but didn't answer. If that man, Krad, made Dark mad enough for him to lose his morals and principles with only a few words... He knew where to strike. He didn't just look like Dark, he **knew** him. And disliked him. Maybe they had a score to settle. Like a grudge. That means there is more to this than just the thefts, I can feel it in my gut. I sighed. I would have to make some research on those two, mark out anything that could be a clue... And talking about clues...

"Have you ever seen a white rabbit with Dark?"

Saehara-san -and Dad too- looked at me like I had just said that I was Cleopatra reincarnated.

  
"A... A rabbit?" asked Saehara-san. I nodded.

"Yeah, I saw Dark's wings turn into a white rabbit tonight. I want to know if this is only a magical pet he uses for concealing his own wings, or if that animal **is** his wings."

Saehara-san looked at me strangely.

"You seem to take the thought of magic rather well..."

I shrugged.

"I'm not. All my beliefs just got knocked over. So I'm starting over and I'm going to assume that nothing is impossible, for starters. I'll put rules and restrictions as I come across them."

There was a moment of silence, then Dad hummed thoughtfully.

"Soo... A rabbit, huh? If we could catch it, we would know for sure, and Dark wouldn't be able to escape..."

I made a face.

"Just don't put a woman in charge of catching the fur ball, that thing is overly cute."

And with this, I changed shoes, removed my kit from my belt, took Dad's coat and readied to leave.

  
At the last moment, Dad asked:

"And the artwork? Did Dark escape with it?"

I shook my head, reached into my pocket and left. When the door closed behind me, the Dragon's Pearl was dangling on the doorknob.

 

* * *

 

Later

I was walking in the park around the museum. The trees were whispering in the wind, the water of the pond ahead of the road wrinkling the reflection of the moon. I sat on a boulder next to the water, and placed my head on my knees with a sigh. My head was boiling. I was exhausted. The earlier scene replayed itself in my mind. The two angels. The fight. The intervention. The talk. It was so confusing... And to say that I was supposed to capture the very being that caused my headache... I could start with finding clues of how to stop him, if only I had my camera... Wait. My camera?

My eyes widened. Shit! I forgot it on the roof! I jumped to my feet, and made a beeline for the museum. As I ran like a madwoman, a little detail I hadn't noticed before came to my mind: where in the Stars's name was Hiwatari?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Sing on the rooftops
> 
> Don't forget to review!


	5. Sing on the rooftops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three days after, Kage deals with her confusion and moral issues about the robbery.

Three days passed. Dad hadn't been called by the police even once, and Dark had not tried to take the Dragon's Pearl again. I didn't know if he was just sulking or if he was planning his next theft -more probably the second option- but I was fine with that. I grabbed my bag, checking for my apron. Yep, still in place.

The reason I had an apron, of all things, in my bag?

Cooking classes.

Joy.

I usually enjoyed cooking -and especially baking-, but today, I just wasn't in the mood. My mind was still troubled by what happened three nights ago on the museum's roof. I desperately wanted to see that angel, Krad, again, if only to prove he was real. Maybe he would be there at Dark's next escapade...

Yeah.

As if.

But for now, I needed to get to school. So I should seriously consider going to that bus stop before I miss said bus.

 

* * *

 

"Where did you get that apron?" whispered Risa.

I glanced at her. We were in the middle of the cooking class, supposedly learning to make a moussaka, and Risa -Stars in Heavens that girl could honestly set the kitchen on fire just by looking at a pan!- was trying to talk fashion.

Ugh.

I sighed, and stirred my sauce.

"I've bought it three years ago, so I don't really remember where I got it. Sorry."

And I returned to my tomato sauce. Risa then asked me:

"How come you don't wear a skirt, but the boy's school uniform pants?" Ah, **the** big question. And also an easy one to answer.

"I wear pants because I just loathe skirts. One cannot move freely in them lest you let everyone see your undergarments whenever you lift a leg, and besides, I'm just too cold in skirts. So yeah, I wear pants. At least it's still the school's uniform..."

Risa hummed thoughtfully. "Well, that makes sense when you think that... "

"Do you know what I think? I think you're slacking off in my class." said an annoyed voice behind us.

Oops.

That would have been the teacher. Tanaka-sensei, arms crossed, towering over us even with his all-white apron, glared at us. The severe look on his face and raised eyebrow made me want to hide behind something even as he continued.

"So, while you weren't paying attention, I was explaining how to cook the rest of this dish. You must have been thinking that you don't need my explanations if you weren't listening to them. So one of you will cook a moussaka with what time is left. If I am not satisfied, the both of you will have detention. A volunteer?" he said, eyeing Risa all the while.

I sighed. Damn me and my bleeding heart. Though if anyone asks me later I'll just say I didn't want to see the kitchen explode.

"I'll do it."

Tanaka-sensei looked at me strangely. "What?"

"I said I'll do it. I'll cook you a moussaka."

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later, humming softly to myself as I finished cleaning my tools, all the while forcing myself to ignore the stares of the entire class, I watched from the corner of my eye the teacher sitting in a corner. Tanaka-sensei had watched me cook the cream, the sauce and fry the eggplants with a hawk's eye, yet still looked shocked at my actions. So what? I had rescued a friend. Was it so surprising? So, sure, Risa was pesky, superficial and had the attention span of a sparrow. But still...

The alarm I had placed on my phone rang, reminding me to switch off the oven. So I abandonned my pan, grabbed a pair of gloves, looked inside the oven ... Yep, the cream was boiling, and the cheese covering the eggplants was goldened and brown like toasted bread. Time to get the moussaka out. So that's what I did, enjoying the nice, rich smell of the meal.

So, here it is... Moment of truth.

I blew the steam, put the dish on a tableset, and smiled.

"All done! Boiling hot, but done."

The sensei then stood up, walked past me, took a plate and a fork, and served himself a generous portion. He blew off the steam, took a bite... I cold have cut the tension with a knife. He then turned towards me and nodded, a tight-lipped smile lighting his face.

"Well done. Maybe a little more pepper in the white sauce, next time, but otherwise, I couldn't have done better myself."

The tension exploded like a bubble as the entire class applauded. Oh Stars in Heaven! What a relief!

 

* * *

 

I took out the entrance card to the Arts room. I had a bucket of water in a hand and a broom in the other. The reason? I was of cleaning duty. Not that it was bothering me, I mean, everyone had to do it someday... But to think that of all the people of my class, I would be stuck with HIM! That was so pissing me off. I glared at the blue hair of my unvolountary teammate, namely Satoshi Hiwatari. Why of all days to be of cleaning duty? Ugh...

I began sweeping with a fury.

 

 

5 minutes later...

 

"Did you realise that you have been sweeping the same spot for over a minute?" a voice asked behind me.

I froze. Huffed. And glared at the offender. He was staring at me blankly. I sighed.

"I don't get it. "

"What do you mean?"

"I don't get the fact that you're a freakin' **police officer** and that you still attend high school. You obviously graduated a while ago. So why?"

"... Maybe I just wanted to see what a normal life felt like?" he answered hesitantly.

I snorted. "Bullshit. A normal life isn't lazing around in a class you already passed. And besides, if you really wanted normality, you wouldn't be on Dark's case."

He stared at me, looking angry all of a sudden. He hissed:

"And did you consider the fact that I may not be there by choice?"

I laughed out loud. Didn't he have a clue, or did he think I was stupid? And besides, who did he think he was, talking to me like that?

"If you really were forced on all this, Mr Genius, you would do your very best to end that ridiculous masquerade quickly, and put all your heart into it! But the thing is: you **don't**!"

He looked shocked. "What? But I do!"

I huffed. Seriously?

"If you were really trying your best, then where in the world were you three days ago; huh? Where were you when Dark attacked? Because you sure as hell weren't on stage in time for the show!"

At those words, the young Hiwatari paled. He lowered his head to hide his eyes behind his blue bangs as if shamed, and said slowly, venomously:

"And you... You had that thief right in your hands. Why did you let him escape? Why did you put your life at risk to save a piece of metal you didn't care about? Why?"

I bit my lip in annoyance as realisation washed over me. He was right. Why did I let that thief escape? Was it really to save that ' _something I didn't care about_ '? The artwork?

I looked at Hiwatari and a picture flashed through my mind. A golden mane. White feathers. Gold eyes burning in pain, anger and despair. I smiled wearily. Of course.Of course it was the right answer.

"I learned how to shoot when I was ten, and I'm pretty good at it. But I didn't beg my father to give me a gun because I liked to shoot: I did it because I wanted to protect people. My gun was given to me, not to take lives, but to **save** them. To protect people and morals. If I had shot Dark, I would have been a murderer. And if I had missed him or done nothing, in the rage that he was in, someone could have died. I don't care if he escaped, as long as no one was killed. And this should be reason enough. For anyone claiming themselves human."

I returned sweeping the floor. Maybe it was because I had poured my worries on Hiwatari, but somehow... I felt a little better about all of this. I knew I had made the right decision by sparing Dark. I didn't regret it at all, and besides, what's done is done. After a long, heavy pause, I silently added:

"Besides, even if I had killed Dark, the stolen art wouldn't have been returned. On the contrary, they would be lost forever."

The boy hummed quietly, before asking:

"So... You made Dark flee because you were worried about Krad?"

I shook my head and and replied: "No. I spared him to prove I was better than him. And how do you know about him anyways?"

Satoshi smirked and it was a painful and bitter thing."That's for me to know and for you to wonder in vain..."

 

* * *

 

The following days, we just avoided each other. His words were ringing in my head, over and over, and I couldn't forget them. 'Maybe I don't have a choice...' What did it mean? That someone or something had forced him to take on Dark's case? But then who? Who was pulling the strings from the shadows? And why?

I sighed. That was becoming complicated, and I had a feeling that all of this was linked. And the headache it was inducing was counter-productive for all that regarded school. I glanced at my French textbook with barely concealed irritation. It was no use. Pouting a bit, I looked back on what I had found yesterday evening.

 

*Flashback*

 

"What do you know about Hiwatari Satoshi?"

My little sister Sukai lifted her head from the fashion magazine she was reading and peered at me, eyebrow raised with curiosity. She smiled slyly.

"Now, how would I know? I am only in middle-school, it's not appropriate to frequent high schoolers, you know!"

I sighed.

"Cut the crap, Suki. I bet you already knew about half the high school by the end of your first week: you just love gossiping that much."

She chuckled, her eyes glinting with the same predatory spark than mine when I was holding a gun. This was her field of expertise.

"Fine, got it. I think I have about a half-page on him. The guy's quite interesting."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"He's slippery." she said before furraging through a big pile of files.

 

Five minutes later, she handed me a piece of paper covered in her lopsided writing. "There. Enjoy."

And she returned to her magazine before I had the time to thank her properly. I shrugged, and began reading.

_" Hiwatari Satoshi. 15 years old (made in 2012) Wears glasses, but has excellent eyesight Graduated at 12 Attended and finished Oliver University at 14 Works as a Supreme Commander on Dark's case, besides attending Azumano High School Single. Has low blood-pressure (checked at the pharmacy). Adopted at 10 by Hiwatari Kei. Original name: Hikari Satoshi."_

I hummed thoughtfully. Hikari, huh? That name somehow rings a bell, but... Where did I hear it?

*end flashback*

 

* * *

 

The next day saw me restless and distracted in class. As lunch came near, I found myself wondering where this had come from. The name 'Hikari' seemed familiar, but I really couldn't remember from where I had heard it. So frustrating! As the bell rang, I shook my head in vain to try and clear it, but my entire head was buzzing like a hive. Groaning, I pushed myself out of my chair, grabbed my stuff and ran for the door in a hurry before Saehara could react.

I sprinted through the halls filled with students, chatter and the sound of countless shoes. The noise wasn't helping **at all**! I needed air and silence, damn it! So I ran away from the noises, climbed stairs again and again, opened a last door... and found myself on the roof.

 

Silence.

Deafening.

A fresh breeze combing my hair back.

Midday sun in a cloudless sky.

And then tiny sounds filtering out.

Birds singing a soft tune.

Cars, laughter, far away, in a background noise.

Bothering me no more.

Perfect.

I breathed deeply the fresh air and lowered my bag to the ground. My head suddenly felt so light, so good... A soft tune rose in the air, it's feathered singer unseen, and I unwardly grinned. Nightingale. How rare in this time of the day...

One usually has to wait for twilight if he wants to hear one... I began to hum, along with the bird, the Nightingale's song as I remembered my mother singing it.

_"Sing, nightingale_

_For the wind as I sail_

_To the far ends of the world_

_Where our story shall be told_

 

_A night when the wind was blowin'_

_I couldn't sleep, I heard you sing_

_For all the stars in the heavens_

_For Lady Night who killed the sun..."_

"It's a beautiful song, you know?"

I snapped out from my reverie. I didn't hear anything coming! Who... I turned my head to meet a spiked mop of fiery red. Oh. Him. Yeah. No wonder I didn't hear anything, this guy has some incredibly silent feet. I grinned, and thanked the Niwa kid. He walked closer and sat next to me, smiling radiantly.

"There isn't a lot of people that know this place, let alone those who actually come here. I wonder how you found it?"

I shrugged. "I just followed my feet. Climbed all the stairs I found, and opened all the doors."

He laughed "That's one way to find it."

He then then became serious.

"But why come here at every pause we're given? There has never been anything interesting to do, in here. Why not go join the others, make friends?"

"I had a headache. I just wanted to enjoy the quiet. And the sight. And you?"

He shrugged.

"Me too, I guess. Except the headache, I mean!"

A moment of silence passed, both awkward and comfortable. Daisuke suddenly asked:

"Soo... What was that song you were singing?"

I raised an eyebrow. "The Nightingale? It's a song my mother taught me. I don't know where it comes from. Why?"

He blushed. "It kinda like it. It remindsme of something, but I don't know what. Could you... sing it again, please?"

"No problem." I took a deep breath, and sang again from where I had stopped:

_"I got outside by the back door_

_And ran to the place where you soar'd_

_Nightingale, your voice of cristal_

_Is worth far more than a King's gold_

 

_I followed you every night_

_Saw you bathing in the moon's light_

_Closed my eyes, like in a dream_

_Every night, I heard you sing_

 

_You spoke of Moon battling darkness_

_A man and his child playing chess_

_You sang about fallen angels_

_And of candles reaching their ends_

 

_You spoke of thunder rattling the sky_

_Of a Swan's song before they die_

_Like a thousand pictures of life_

_Soft as silk or sharp as a knife_

 

_And every day I hummed your song_

_At home, at work and all day long_

_Be it rain, or be it snow_

_I sang, waiting, for you to show..."_

 

My comrade's phone suddenly rang, making us jump.

"Ah! That's probably my mom... She said she was bringing me my lunch... I should go and meet her..."

I smiled. "Go on. I'll see you in class."

"Okay. Say, that song, does it end well?"

My smile faded.

"I guess that's a matter of point of view. Not all stories end with happy ever after."

"Oh."

 

As he closed the door behind him, I smiled sadly, then closed my eyes in remembrance and finished the song in a softer voice.

_"But one night, O heavenling_

_On your branch you just stopped singing_

_You turned your eye to me and said_

_Don't watch, but sing with me instead_

 

_And for more than a thousand nights_

_I followed your song and flight_

_You made my voice rise high and far_

_We sang for the love of the Stars_

 

_So when Spring came, I was so sad_

_I came to see you and saw you clad_

_In beautiful mating feathers_

_And by your side, I saw her_

 

_As I greeted her politely_

_She huffed and then sneered at me_

_And you let her, it broke my heart !_

_My lonely nights came to start_

 

_For a long month, you sang without me_

_And with that bird, but when I did_

_Everything just stopped to listen_

_As Moon and Stars seemed to hum_

 

_And the day my heart stopped to cry_

_I told the Woods and you: 'goodbye'_

_I reached the docks, and here, set sail_

_I'll shall forever sing our tale_

 

_To the world's farthest ends,_

_I'll sing our song, Nightingale"_

. . .

 

I let the song end, its low and sorrowful tone echoeing through the air even as my voice stopped to sing it. As the last note ended, I smiled softly.

"A beautiful song, you said?"

I wonder if it had been a mere compliment, or if it had been sincere. That song had always sounded so... lonely, to me. And sad, too. A pure heart broken by a careless bird, and left to wander the world, unable to forget even if it had forgiven. And yet...

 

The bell rang, announcing the mid-time and interrupting my thoughts. I should go to lunch before there's nothing left at the cafeteria.

And as I left, a lone ivory feather fluttered to the ground. Unnoticed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Investigation
> 
> Please leave me reviews, so I may know if my work is good, and strive to make it better.


	6. Chapter 5: Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kage gets to work; Dark, be afraid. Be very afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

I leaned back against the chair with a groan. Damned headache. And damned Dark, who was the cause of said headache.

"Okay, let's go over what we know about Dark. Facts! Not speculations. If I want gossip, I'll ask the Harada twins, okay?"

Sukai sniggered, and Dad sweatdropped. I pulled a blank sheet out of the stack of paper in the printer, and started a list: _Azumano's Local Thief._

"So, first things first: Name, Dark (Mousy)"

Sukai added: "First appearance: back in the 18th century. I checked. Same MO, same description. Even found pictures and inkings dating back from the _Bakumatsu_."

I whistled, impressed. "Main targets: artwork. Paintings, jewelry, statues... Did you cross-check for a link between all of those?"

"Yeah, and from what I've found, Dark's targets go from Antiquity, museum pieces and private collections alike, to very recent art. The most recent art piece I've found was a painting made by a student of Azumano for last year's art project! It makes no sense at all: Dark steals the work of masters just as well as unknown pieces, with no discrimination. The only thing in common is that it's all art."

"Maybe he just thinks it's pretty, then."

Dad snorted. "Be serious, Kage. Another fact is that the artworks **never** reappear. I checked with a few contacts underground, there has never been a mention of any of those pieces. So Dark doesn't sell them."

"He probably hoards them somewhere. And about that, I wanted to check: Sukai, is there any record of him acting up anywhere other than Azumano?"

"Well, according to what I've found, he's very local. Azumano and neighbouring towns, sometimes the nearest islands. Rarely farther than -if you'll forgive me the pun- a few hours flight. But yes, there are records of him acting up in- let me see..." She turned to her laptop and scrolled through a pdf file before finding what she was searching for.

"Aha! Two trips in Germany, one in the early 19th century, and another one in 1936. Five trips to Pekin, even a record of a _tengu_ breaking and entering in the Forbidden City in the 1770s, and... Ah, yes. A raid in the Louvre during WWII, a mere fortnight before the Nazis moved everything elsewhere. No mention of what was taken, but apparently, it was a painting."

"But his main target is still Azumano, so that's where I'll have the most chance of catching him." I finished. There was a big silence. I raised my eyes from my notes.

"What?"

Sukai was staring at me. She suddenly asked: "May I have a word with you, Kage?"

"Sure." I answered, standing up. We exited the room. Dad made a move to follow us, but Sukai added:

"Alone, if you don't mind."

 

* * *

 

"So? What did you want to talk about?" I asked Sukai after locking the door.

" _That's where I'll have the most chance of catching Dark._ "

I startled."What?"

"That's what you said. Not ' _Dad_ ', or ' _you_ ', or ' _the police_ ', but ' _I_ '. Why?"

"I..."

" You do know that we are not in the police, do you? Dad is. This is Dad's job, and the job of the police force. Collecting intel counts as helping them from the sidelines. It's the same as training. But our role is **not** to do the job for them. We're not ready to go on the field yet, and you know that! I'm not ready, and _you_ are not ready. We could get severely injured, or even killed, out there. Do you get it?"

I bit my lip. She was right, of course, but... "We've been training all our lives for things like this. I think we're as ready as we could be. And you forget that Dark is not armed: we are. Doesn't that count for something in your eyes?"

"No. Dark doesn't need a gun to kill someone: all he has to do is drop them from the sky. Humans can't fly. He can. And no weapon in the world is going to save you from a hundred feet freefall, Kage!"

 

* * *

 

I found myself unable to focus the next day. My sister's words kept echoing inside my head. I found myself going back to that night on the museum's roof. So many things could have gone wrong. If he hadn't been taken by surprise, if he had retaliated... I could be dead. He could have just pushed me off the roof. And now that the element of surprise was gone...

_'Because you aimed a weapon at him, he will come back expecting one...'_

"... and be even more sneaky that he already is."

"Talking to yourself?"

I jumped, startled from my thoughts. It was Saehara, the guy with the camera. I remembered automatically that he was the son of Saehara-san, and that his dream was to become a journalist. It gave me an idea. I smiled shyly, flirtingly, and answered.

"Hello. You are... Saehara-kun, right?I've heard so much about you..."

He blushed and laughed like an idiot, and stuttered.

"R-really, you did?"

"Ye-es, your talent as a reporter, your research about Dark... Is it true that you know everything that goes on in this town?"

"Well, yes of course! I am aiming to become a journalist after all! Ha ha ha ha!"

... What an idiot.

"Well, I was wondering: you see, I help my father a bit with his work, and he asked me to make a list of all of Azumano's oldest families, at least 8 or 10 generations back. Do you think you could point me in the right direction? For someone with your abilities, it should be a piece of cake..."

"Oh, well... I-"

"It would help greatly with the Dark case." I cut him. He beamed.

"In that case, I, Saehara Takeshi, shall do my best!"

Naive idiot.

But at least he might be useful.

 

I returned to my thoughts with an appeased heart. Yes, Dark would come back, and steal again. And yes, I knew he would be wary of me and so I couldn't face him again. And yes, he would be sneakier than ever now that he knew we were armed. But if we couldn't catch him in the act, we could do the second best thing: find his hoard and in which basement of Azumano it might be. If we caught the whole family, instead of one thief, then Dark Mousy would forever cease to exist, fault of people to pass on the knowledge and the wings.

 

* * *

 

On the other side of the classroom, one Hiwatari Satoshi was plunged deep in his thoughts as well. There had been no sign of Dark for three days, and no sign of his father as well, but Krad was restless. He had cloaked his thoughts from the blue-eyed boy, but Satoshi could still feel him pacing back and forth within the metaphorical space of his mind. It was -to stay polite- annoying. And he was starting to feel the first signs of a headache creeping in.

_**:: Krad. ::** _

The pacing stopped.

_**:: What, Satoshi-sama?::** _

_**:: Please refrain from giving me a headache in class. ::** _

The white demon snorted, but remained still in his corner of Satoshi's mind.

For 20 seconds.

Satoshi groaned and hit his head against the table.

_**:: Can you at least tell me what the pacing is about? So I may know the responsible for my headache?::** _

Instead of answering, Krad took control of Satoshi's eyes and turned his head to the right. The new girl, Sarani-san's daughter, was openly flirting with Saehara.

_**:: Kagome Sarani?::** _

_**:: It's Kage, Satoshi-sama.::** _

_**::Whatever. What do you want with her?::** _

_**:: Nothing! It's just that I do not understand her.::** _

_**::Heh. She's female, what did you expect?::** _

 

* * *

 

I spent the most part of lunch break on the roof, sitting cross-legged with papers spread around me and pinned with various pencils, updating my plan for Dark and writing down hypothesis. The whole Dark case was much more than just catching a thief breaking in the museum. I agreed with Saehara-san that Dark couldn't be caught in the act. Not with those skills, and those **wings**.

So, the obvious solution was to discover his real identity, and since the face of Dark didn't match anyone in Azumano, it couldn't be done directly. So I had to cross check for Dark's family. It had to be a family with children (or teenagers actually), and that had been living in the area for at least 8 generations. I still had to get the list from Takeshi, but it was only a matter of time now. The puzzle pieces were starting to come into place.

 

* * *

 

After the bell rang, I gathered back my papers and put them back in their file. My thoughts were elsewhere as I wandered the stairs back to class. So it was a complete surprise when someone hugged me from behind.

  
Startled, I turned to caramel curls at shoulder-level.

"Sukai? What are you **doing** here?"

She gave me the glare that kills. "Because of our discussion last night, I haven't been able to sleep. So I thought that I might as well help you with that case, so it could be over sooner and you don't get yourself killed."

I sweatdropped. "Annnd?"

She huffed arrogantly. "Think for a bit, my dearest sister. Before Dark reappeared a year ago, when was the last time he had made an appearance?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"That the last Phantom Thief was active about forty years ago, from 1959 to 1967 more precisely. Now, if the name of ' _Dark_ ' is passed from say, father to son…"

"Then assuming the first ' _Dark_ ' started at 15, he should be at least 60 or 70 now. Meaning the ' _Dark_ ' name jumped a generation. So he must have had only daughters, and now it's his grandson running around as the thief!"

"Exactly. And that should narrow down your search."

"But what if he had a son who refused the title instead?"

"I'm not stupid, you know! But there hasn't been a skip of generation in almost 200 years. The chances of it happening now? Inexistant. And I've looked everywhere: there is no mention, or picture, or **whatever** , that might even **hint** at a female Dark. **_Nowhere_**."

"So we're looking at a name that skipped a generation. Crap, that means the name has changed recently, too! What a mess…"

Sukai bit her lip with a deep-thinking expression. "Well, not necessarily. With a legacy such as Dark, they may have wanted to keep the wife's maiden name. Family pride, and all… In any case, we're looking at a teenager's mother side of the family."

"I manipulated the Saehara son into giving me a list of Azumano's oldest families, spanning over 8 generations."

"Good idea. He can't be Dark because of his father, right?"

"That, and he's entirely too obsessed with Dark to have any clue about what's going on."

…

"Annd, we should probably get to class now."

 

* * *

 

As it turns out, my conversation with Sukai made me late for Biology. I swiftly apologised, made my way to my table, and noted down the new intel about Dark before listening to the lecture with almost-fascination.

  
Hey! Don't make those disgusted faces! I quite like Biology!

The lecture was about DNA, and how the genetic material was copied from parents to children, with a few mutations in the genome that made the individual unique, and eventually participated to the evolution of the species. I found it funny, and imagined Dark as the new, mutated evolution of the human race. It made me imagine an X-Men Dark and I shuddered.

Nope.

Too creepy, even for me.

Not to mention the X suit was waaayy too close to reality.

"Sarani-san?"

"Hmm?" I turned towards my interlocutor. It was Hiwatari.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Yes, of course," I said, getting up and following him in the hallway. "What is it?"

He adjusted his glasses, flashing them in what appeared to be a deliberate way. Must have taken a lot of practice in front of a mirror.

"I had a call from the officer in charge. Dark left a warning card on a painting, the ' _Dawn Eternal_ '. He plans to steal it tomorrow night, at 11 pm."

"Leaving us with a day to prepare, huh? I would guess it's to better humiliate the police when he takes it without problems."

"Your guess would be correct. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

I don't think so…. Wait! When did they receive the notice? And how?"

"A security guard noticed it had been slipped under the frame of the painting. Near midday."

"And it wasn't there this morning, right?"

"No."

"Then would you mind calling in the museum and let them know not to delete any footage of today, please?"

"What for?"

"I snorted. "Come on, you don't think the card got there **magically** , do you."

"But…"

"Someone put it there, and the footage is going to tell us who."

Hiwatari shook his head. "Do you think we don't check? No one saw Dark in the museum today."

"Maybe, but Dark doesn't work alone."

"What?!" Hiwatari cried, shocked.

I smirked. "We- as in, my father and I- have reason to believe that Dark has accomplices. Or more specifically, an entire family of accomplices. We believe that the title of _'Dark'_ is passed from generation to generation in a family of Azumano."

"But..."

"And as such," I cut him smoothly "Anyone in this family could have put the card on the painting."

I patted his shoulder and headed back to class. As I was about to cross the threshold of the classroom, I added softly at his attention: "I would suggest re-checking the footage, Hiwatari-san."

 

* * *

 

That evening, after Dad came home with the footage of this morning, Sukai snatched it out of his hands and started running it on her computer. Realising she would be there for a long time, I went to my room and put some music on. There was something I wanted to do.

 

Half an hour later, when Sukai knocked on my door to let me know she'd found something, I put down my pencil and checked my half-finished drawing beforehand. I had been trying to recreate the first impression I'd had of the Phantom Thief. That of a young, winged man, purple-haired and wreathed in shadows. Long legs, nimble hands, leather outfit and cocky smirk.

It was quite good, actually.

But I have work to do.

 

* * *

 

I sat in the chair Sukai waved at me, as she inclined the computer's screen towards me.

"So," she started with a flat tone that meant business. "I've marked the points of interest. The card was left between 10h34 and 10h36am. And that's where it gets interesting..."

She played the passage. The camera was midway on the wall, probably 8 feet high, and focused on three pieces of art. The ' _Dawn Eternal_ ' was the one on the left. There was quite a number of people in the room. At 10:34:45 exactly, a woman with a big hat came to ogle the middle piece and blocked the view from the ' _Dawn Eternal_ '. A minute later, when she left, a white square  had been added to the corner of the painting.

Sukai stopped the footage. "I've played this thing over twenty times. They hid between the tourists to put the card. At this hour, it was rush time. But," she opened a bitmap file with a zoomed in video capture of a precise moment, "I think they made a mistake. I noted down a description of everyone around the painting before the camera was blocked off, and the people after. Exactly the same people: the lady with the panda bag, the cool student in flannel, the grandpa with the bowler hat and those three corean girls doing selfies. But if you look carefully..." She put the video back on and stopped it at 10:35:21.

"... then you can see this." She pointed to a woman in her late thirties with a silk scarf around her neck and a pair of sunglasses. In a _museum_.

Sukai turned to me and grinned. "Ever seen something more cliché than that?"

I snorted.

"So, I'd say Mrs Bond is our suspect n°1. Now, is the camera-blocker an accomplice, or..."

"Well, at first, I thought she had given a random chick a few bucks to stay at that spot a couple minutes. But then, I played the previous hours and saw something quite peculiar."

Sukai winded back the video until the time read 08:45:32 and hit play. There were far less tourists in this footage -it was probably before the morning rush. But I watched a couple of ladies in the room, talking animately and laughing like good friends, despite one looking old enough to be the other one's mother. Then I looked at the older woman's hair scarf and... wait a minute...

"Is that..."

"The same women? Yep. They went to do the reperage before the morning rush to be undisturbed, and went back in the middle of the tourist group to put the card when the security was too busy with the tourists to notice. It's actually quite clever."

I nodded. "And it confirms the theory about Dark's family. That woman with the scarf is probably his mother."

"Yeah. I thought of running that face through the database, but... those damned sunglasses..."

"What about that younger one with the white hair?"

Sukai shook her head. "I already searched. That woman's face is nowhere in any database I've thought of. I searched police and immigration records, IDs, I even looked in the schools records! But nothing. It's as if she'd never existed."

"Hmm... Like Dark..." I was thoughtful. How many other secrets did the Phantom Thief conceal? Why hoard art and never sell it for generations, and pass it as a legacy? I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Well, at least we learned two things: one, we can confirm that Dark's family is involved in the thieving business. And two, Dark is not the only one to be trained: his whole family has special skills, and every one of them can too easily become a threat."

I paused.

Sighed.

"Go to bed, sis. We'll think about it tomorrow, okay?

"Goodnight, Kage."

"Goodnight."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azumano's Local Thief
> 
> Name: Dark (Mousy)
> 
> Characteristics: Young man, dressed in black, big black wings
> 
> First appearance: early 18th century, in Dusseldörf (Germany)
> 
> Location: mainly Azumano, and surrounding zones (with occasional trips to the mainland and Europe)
> 
> MO:  
> sends a warning card with target, location and time of the robbery.  
> Announces his arrival by flying around the building, and entering by the rooftop  
> (Disguises as a guard to trick security)  
> Takes target  
> Flies away through a window
> 
> Targets:Artwork (no particular link)
> 
> Hypothesis:  
> \- Dark Mousy is a pseudonym  
> \- hoards his prizes, as opposed to selling them  
> \- family speciality/legacy (spans over several generations)  
> \- lives in Azumano  
> \- family of thieves? (confirmed)  
> -family members plant the warning cards
> 
> Please hit the button underneath the text.
> 
> Next chapter: The bunny mystery


	7. Preparations for tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone prepares for Dark's next heist.Talents are found, questions arise, and plans are made. Also, Saehara gets a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

  


   


I slammed a fist on my alarm clock with a few colourful words after the first ring. I turned over and stared at the ceiling with bleary eyes, waiting for my brain to start...

Right.

School.

...

...

And Dark.

 

* * *

 

I ran to the shower before my sister could take it, got dressed up, and headed down to breakfast while trying to dry off the water in my ears. Dad had grilled -read burned- toasts and made coffee, so I stole a cup, the butter, and seated down for the family moment.

Yeah.

Still trying to ignore the empty spot at my left, where Mom used to sit.

Always the same places around a table. Mom at my left, Dad at my right, and Sukai facing me so we could have a toast fight without them getting hit.

Sukai coughed to get my attention, having noticed -and recognised- my expression. Yes, she missed Mom too.

"So, today's schedule?" said Dad.

"School," I said. "I have to talk to Hiwatari, ask him if he can give me a ride to the museum so I don't have to run there, seeing as there isn't a bus that stops at both the school and the museum. I have to pay back the Harada twins for yesterday's money. And obviously, Dark, Dark, **Dark**." I finished, stabbing the butter knife in my toast with absent fascination at each ' _crunch_ '.

"Stop murdering that innocent toast and pass the juice over there, Kage." said Sukai with the tone of someone who says that a lot. I put down the knife, stained with buttery toast, and passed the juice.

"As for me, I have to finish Maths early to escape to the high school and return their pajamas to the Harada twins. I forgot last time. **Silly me** _._ Then I have to pass by that shop on the Fountain of Peace place to get the doubles of our house's keys, because I'm never spending a night with my sister's nosiest, and most superficial classmates again. Did you know that the long-haired one has a crush on Dark? She friggin' wouldn't **shut up about it** , it was insufferable."

I snorted in my coffee.

Sukai glared.

And then turned her attention to Dad.

"And you?" she asked in a sweet, innocent tone that just screamed ' _danger!'_.

He gulped.

"Well, Dark's coming tonight, so there's security to set... And the Commissioner is going to be there, so..."

"Commissioner?" both Sukai and I said.

"He looked at me specifically, serious all of a sudden, and said: "Commissioner of the police department, yes. Hiwatari Kei. A very popular man, especially among the ladies, but I don't trust him."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"I have my reasons. When you meet him - **if** you meet him-, I want you to be polite, a bit naive, and not reveal anything, about anything. And don't even **mention** Sukai. Understood?"

I nodded.

"Other than this, we'll do everything tonight as according to the plan. Okay?"

Nods again.

Dad stood up, and was heading off when I remembered.

"And, Dad?"

"Hmm?"

I smiled sweetly. "This time, you handle the money. **For both of us**. _Capishe_?"

He sweat-dropped and nodded before running away.

I was left smirking like the cat that got the cream until I noticed Sukai's stare.

"What?"

She blinked. "Nothing. It's just... It's incredible how much you look like Mom when you go all sweet-faced and order Dad around. I think that's why you got him so whipped."

I huffed. "Nonsense. You order him around too."

"Yeah, but he never **actually** obeys me. Not like he does with you."

 

* * *

 

Even later, on the bus, I couldn't help but think about Sukai's words. I don't really look like Mom, Sukai does a lot more than I do. Yes, I have the same hair that she does, dark brown locks that curl on their own and shine red under the right light. But Mom had blue eyes, bright blue like midday sky in summer, while mine are like leaves in September, green just beginning to redden and fall. She had a nice tan, my skin is fair to the point of being pale.

But in a way, I guess I'm glad I have something of her. It makes me feel closer to her somehow.

I spotted red hair as I came out of the bus, and waved warmly at Daisuke Niwa. He looked startled at first when I came to him, but smiled like a kid when he recognised me.

"Hi, Sarani-dono."

"Hi to you, Niwa-kun. And please, I prefer Kage. I thought I told you, no?"

He smiled awkwardly. Cute. I fell into step with him, remembering that he had a light, sure step.

"Do you dance or something?" I asked out of the blue.

He looked at me with wide eyes and stuttered. "N-n-no, I don't... Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "For nothing, it's just.. something in the way you stand, move, walk... It reminds me of my sis' when she was returning from her ballet classes."

He looked weird for a second before composing himself "It's just natural, I guess."

I laughed. "Yeah, never say that to my sister if she ever asks you: it takes years of very rigorous training for most people to achieve that kind of grace." I smiled before adding: "It took me almost two years of gymnastics before I could actually walk a rope without falling."

He looked interested. "Gymnastics? So you do a lot of sports?"

I snorted "A lot of sports is one way to say it. I did fencing, shooting with both gun and bow, some dancing, gym, swimming, rock climbing, track... All of that juggling with classes and trying to raise my sister right."

"Raising your sister? You mentioned her in class, right?"

"Yep. Sukai. Dad insisted so she can shoot too, so she can defend herself just in case, but she actually prefers dolling up. And gossip. Ugh, don't let me start with the gossip. Did you know that Risa Harada has that **huuuge** crush on that thief, Dark?"

"Yeah, it's kinda... common knowledge."

"Huh-uh. Though I bet it's not so common knowledge that she's been collecting his feathers at every robbery and hanging them around in her room, is it?"

He startled, suddenly bright red. "S-sh-she... **She does WHAT?"**

I nodded. "Hang them in her room. Like, great fans of feathers everywhere. Not even that good a decoration. Sukai told me that she had actually taped and glued them to the wall. Imagine that: tape everywhere, feathers dangling with broken quills, glued together and sticky... Ugh."

"That's horrible. And really creepy."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Seriously, I don't even particularly **like** Dark, but disrespecting someone like that... It's like... someone had taken pictures of me sleeping at home, and hung them above their bed. It's almost worse than stalking."

"Yeah. Dark has a lot of fans, but I don't think any of them ever did that."

"Well, let's just be glad that the actual thief doesn't know about it. Can you imagine his reaction if he ever found out, though? It would be hilarious!"

Niwa smiled a lopsided, tense, almost pained smile. "I can see how he would react. I can see it perfectly..."

 

* * *

 

I looked at my schedule. Math, physics, 2 hours art, lunch break, 2 hours English, free period, History. I would have to look for Hiwatari during lunch break.

The bell rang.

Well, here goes nothing.

.

.

.

Newsflash: I hate math.

 

* * *

 

Takeshi Saehara approached me just before Art class. I had just finished setting up an canvas and picking up some acrylics when he dropped a stack of paper in my lap.

Surprised, I looked at him.

"Is that... the list I asked of you yesterday?"

"Yep! I did it as soon as I could!"

I whistled in appreciation as I opened the file to assess his work. Wow. It was... Very detailed. Family trees, family and individual names with where the daughters had married into, along with dates, even pictures... Really, really impressive. I closed the file with a smile and turned to the eager teen.

"It's great. It's actually amazing. Even my father's police files are often less detailed than this, and they have experts from the intelligence department of the government working on them. How did you manage to do such a beautiful job in less than 24 hours?"

Saehara-kun beamed at the praise, then laughed awkwardly and scratched his neck at my question.

"Well, it's because... I spent all night on it!" he declared proudly.

My eyes went wide as plates. Then narrowed as I took in the little details. The bags under his eyes. His shirt, untucked. Mismatched socks, one white, one red. His tie, crooked and backwards...

...

Oh, well. I obviously can't do anything about the socks or the shirt without starting up the rumour mill, but he does deserve some kind of reward for his hard work, don't you think?

So I stood off my stool with a nice, if not slightly mischievous smile, and grasped Saehara-kun's collar. He went beet red. I casually untied and knotted his tie correctly, ignoring the shocked gasps all around the room, smoothed it against his shirt, and, quickly, pecked him on the cheek with a whispered ' _thank you'_.

He grinned wide, glanced at his tie, then nodded and said something unintelligible before heading off with a new spring in his step.

I giggled behind a hand. He was cute, in a devil-may-care, clown-on-a-spring, exuberant kind of way. Once you got past his obsession with taking pictures, his loudness, naiveness... Okay, not so much. But he still did a very good job. Sukai would be green with jealousy.

If she wasn't too busy being impressed.

 

* * *

 

Satoshi Hiwatari glared at the annoying loudmouth that was Inspector Saehara's son before returning his gaze to his lap. Krad was raising up to attention, interested as always when it came to art. But his easel stood stark white in front of him, and would remain this way no matter how much his fingers itched to take up the brush and use his power as a Hikari. He couldn't afford to create something he would later have to destroy.

So he looked around. Most had already begun. The younger Harada twin had already managed to completely ruin whatever it was she could have created, as always. Some had a sketch going on. Some were even starting on a background. But in the back of the class, the Sarani girl was staring at nothing, eyes misty, brush held steady and sure in her hand, as she contemplated the imposed theme.

_'_ _Fear of Justice (or lack thereof)'_

He looked around once more. Some had started on black shapes, lonely places, tortured lines. One had started mixing greys and whites on chains, another was spreading marble and wood in a courtroom. Niwa was sketching vertical lines, bars on a grey background. Satoshi almost smiled. Prison. As expected of a thief. But his painting was carefully executed as not to hold any potential, nor life. Krad snorted inside him.

_**::I guess he**_ **did** _**learn his lesson with the Second Hand of Time::**_

The blue-eyed teen looked at every canvas, his eyes guessing at every blooming shape, and detecting the flaws and potential in the art. So far, the most amusing one was Saehara's, with a panicked Dark fleeing the police's nets and the crowd's pitchforks. The class was nearing its end when suddenly, Krad shouted.

_**:: Satoshi-sama, look at what she's painting!::** _

Surprised, Satoshi looked around, trying to see what or who had startled his curse so, when the white demon added:

_**:: On the far right, the Sarani girl. She's Creating::** _

And so she was. Her canvas was humming softly, not with life, not yet, but already with growing intent. Some kind of cold light, heavy yet righteous, poured in the art at every stroke of the brush. Kage was frowning in concentration, but her eyes were elsewhere. Focused on something else than the image she was bringing to life.

The fresh paint was causing a glare when the sunlight hit, so he couldn't see it properly from where he was. But Satoshi could still see the colours she had used. Dark greys, blacks and blues around the edges, and white in the center. A lot of white, with pale blues, light greys, and all the shades of gold and brown. A bit of red and beige, just a few specks on the palette.

She was standing close to the easel, applying details with a little brush. Brown, red, white...

Krad was getting more and more agitated with curiosity, even though the piece wasn't powerful at all. It didn't feel threatening, nor benevolent, it just **was.**

Satoshi discreetly moved his stool backwards to get a better look and glanced at the clock: only a few minutes until the end of the class. The painting was dark with a light center that looked a bit like a big star, with a yellow, red, but mostly white center. He could feel the artwork start to sing, Krad answering with enthusiasm, and he knew that even on the other side of the class, there was **not a snowball's chance in Hell** that Dark was missing **that** display. But perhaps he wouldn't find it enough of interest to try and steal it -he hoped so.

Finally, Kage put down her palette, and took a tube of black paint. The strokes turned into the lines and loops of carefully handwritten words at the bottom of the painting. A last stroke at the same corner became a signature, and the hum became a heartbeat.

Done.

It had become sentient.

And yet... it was different.

All in all, it was just a little thing, even less powerful than the work of the most talentless of Hikaris, but that cold light in the painting had a purpose. Not really a will, but already a reason to exist. But was that really enough for Krad to **squirm in his head like that?** Really?

_**:: Yes!::** _

Ugh.

 

* * *

 

And then the bell rang.

Both Tamers shot out of their seats and made it to the girl's easel in a record time.

Dark's and Krad's interest sparked and matched.

She had painted a stormy background, black clouds glowing blue with lightning, and weeping grey rain on dark hills and inky lakes. But the attention was directed on the angel in the center, taking up more than half the space, stark white against the darkness.

He -for it was assuredly male- had six wings, middle and lower ones opened wide, radiant, shaded pastel blue and dove grey. He was clothed in golden and scarlet armor and a white cloth belted around his waist. There was a golden, large, flaming sword heaved up in his right hand, his left one fisted at his side. His face was hidden behind the upper wings, leaving only the pale triangle of a chin, the Cupid's bow curve of a mouth, and red-gold locks tumbling down his shoulders. The Seraph had a large golden halo, glowing outwards as solid light, like a spiked, webbed wheel, looking more like some kind of weapon than a representation of holiness.

There was great care in the details, in the background as well as on the angel himself. Satoshi could actually count the feathers on the wings.

As a whole, it was beautiful and inspiring, but it lacked its own magic. Any power it would hold would have to be given by viewers.

Still.

It did hold a certain power physically, not by its magic but by its appearance. It reminded a bit Satoshi of the Old Testament, the verses about the Deluge or the Plagues. A tentative at describing the wrath of God, or divine retribution, or whatever.

The sentence underneath the painting confirmed that:

_'Come, ye children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. -Psalms 34:11'_

Satoshi exchanged a glance with Daisuke, but before any of them could open his mouth, the teacher's exclamation stopped them in their tracks.

"Oh my! This is such a beautiful work! Oh, congratulations, Sarani-chan! We will be so proud of exposing it with the others in the hall! I'll take it there right away. And-"

"No."

The teacher deflated. "What? You don't mean that, of course!"

"I said no. I made it, I'm keeping it." Kage said calmly as she finished putting her brushes away and grabbed the canvas. She carefully put it under her arm before adding: "Besides, I already know what I'm going to do with it."

She looked at the figure standing tall and proud and terrible in the center of the painting and added softly.

"I think Mom will like it. She was the one who believed in angels..."

 

* * *

 

During the break, Satoshi locked himself in the bathroom and questioned Krad in the mirror.

_**::Why were you so interested in that painting? It didn't have any particular ability, it wasn't even strong enough to gain proper self-awareness!::** _

The demon shook his golden head and smiled. _ **::You're looking at this the wrong way, Satoshi-sama. You looked at the magical potential, I looked at what she**_ **wanted** _ **the painting to be.::**_

_**::Which is?::** _

_**::Everything, Satoshi-sama. She didn't create the picture as she made it, it was already there, in her head, intact. ::** _

Satoshi frowned. _**::What do you mean?::**_

_**::Have you seen all the details on the painting?::** _

_**::Yes, so?::** _

_**::Everything was already in her head. Down to the last feather. She saw the theme, imagined, then visualised the picture, and copied on the canvas what had already started to live in her mind. That's what gave it life. It already lived,** _ **in her head** _**. Do you understand?::** _

_**::I... guess. It's different than what the Hikari do.::** _

_**:: That's because it's** _ **not** _**Hikari magic. It's not about Creating, it's more like... Caring. Giving shape to what already  has the potential to exist. Giving a body and a life to what already has a soul. Funnily, it's the one thing your family has never managed to do. Create something tangible without the need for an anchor.::** _

_**:But her painting isn't tangible. That seraph of hers won't just... spring up from the canvas and smite us all.::** _

_**::Because it's already where it's meant to be. Like humans don't search the world of paintings, that painting won't search for the world of humans. Unlike Hikari works like us which yearn for something more, that one is already whole. It will never need to be sealed; it's... stable.::** _

Satoshi took a moment to process what Krad had just told him., then laughed coldly in derision.

_**::Satoshi-sama?::** _

**: _:Heh... I just realised why my ancestors never managed this kind of magic: carrying children, giving life... Men, especially the cold-hearted Hikari, would never know how it feels like, seeing as it's a woman's privilege. And Dark and you can't possess women... That's why you're stuck, isn't it? What irony... The only ones who can give you a real life, and you can't touch them.::_**

Satoshi was still chuckling to himself when he went back to the classroom.

 

* * *

 

I searched for Hiwatari during lunch break, but in vain. So I decided instead to find Sukai at the middle school to give her the intel Saehara had put together. I asked Riku Harada for directions -while trying to avoid Risa, she would be able to ask to come with me or something equally stupid- and headed down to the middle school.

"You say Saehara Takeshi did this?"

"Yes. Isn't it good?"

Sukai looked at me with an inscrutable gaze, then scoffed. "If a 15 years old kid did this in less than 24 hours, alone, then I think some of the agents in the intelligence and security bureau better find another job."

"That good?"

"Oh yeah. And it also means that I should review my file on this boy. Most of the time, I've heard of him as ' _loud-mouthed'_ , ' _lazy_ ', ' _blackmailer'_ , and that his only good points are photography and cooking."

"That's obviously overrated… Wait! You **made files** on my classmates? What the hell, Sukai!"

"Oh come on! It's good training! And I was bored! I already know half the things we do in class, and I had to restrain myself not to win the run in PE!"

I huffed. "So do I, but I still don't spy on my classmates! Violation of privacy, remember?"

"One of your ' _classmates_ ', as you say is probably Dark. So if I were you…"

"Sukai! I can't really arrest a 15 years old boy on the basis that he's Dark, you know! Actually, I can't arrest anyone at all: I don't have a badge."

"Dad has one."

"Not the point Sukai! And…" I pinched the bridge of my nose, to keep myself from saying something I would probably regret later. "Look… Are the contents of this file going to be of any use to you, or not?"

Sukai hummed, deep in thought.

"Double, actually. I'm going to show this to Dad, to know what he thinks of it. If I play this correctly, then your friend Takeshi may just receive a scholarship one of those days."

"You want to enroll him? To, what? Work for the Feds?"

"Well, yes."

I frowned. "That's **our** dream, Sukai. Not his."

"Puh-lease. He'd be wasted as a journalist."

"In any case, nothing is to be done or said to him, or his father, until Dad gives a verdict. Okay?"

"Yeah, of course. Not stupid."

"Good."

 

* * *

 

I got back to my side of the school just in time to hear the bell ring. I went to my seat as fast as I could without bumping into anyone, and tried to regain a normal breathing rate while trying not to look suspicious. I spied Hiwatari coming in five minutes into class, and assessed him without looking like it. He looked shaken, and deep in thought. I don't think he even noticed me. His eyes were cloudy and the palest grey I'd ever seen.

I shook myself and returned my attention to the English class.

 

As soon as the class ended, I shot from my seat and went to Hiwatari's.

"May I talk to you for a second?"

He looked at me strangely, features impassible but eyes curious, and nodded slowly. I grabbed my bag on our way out, and Hiwatari directed us to the library.

 

* * *

 

On our way, I looked at him carefully.

He was… well, beautiful, in a porcelain-doll kind of way… Silvery-blue hair, like aquamarine, sharp, sapphire eyes, and pale cheeks… Aristocratic, especially in the way he held himself. Perfectly straight posture, the calm, cool look of someone who could sit on a kitchen stool and make it look like he was in a throne… And yet, tense shoulders and controlled movements told me he'd been through a lot and a lot more was weighing on him.

I remembered his file: mother died when he was young, no sign of the biological father. Graduates at 8, finishes university at 13… Adopted recently, by some kind of officer in the department, Kei Hiwatari, that immediately gave him a job as Chief Commander… Wait a minute!

_'_ _Dark's coming tonight, so there's security to set... And the Commissioner is going to be there.'_

Crap.

I waited until we were both seated in a corner of the library to ask him.

"So… Dark's coming tonight."

"Yes."

"And… I imagine the police force already have put tremendous measures in place."

"They have."

I sighed. Not a good beginning. I might as well cut to the point. I looked at him in the eyes and blurted out.

"Do you think it will stop him?"

He stiffened. "All the police's forces have been re-"

"I'm not asking what has been done, I'm asking what **you** think of it. All of this, the guards, the traps, the freaking **lasers** , has been done before, right?"

"Yes."

"It didn't stop him before. Do you think it will now?"

He sighed. Deeply. And suddenly, his eyes looked a hundred years old despite his youthful face.

"No, I know it won't."

I leaned in. "Then why continue? It's a waste of resources."

"Because it's what we are supposed to do: try to catch Dark!"

"I think that's the problem, here."

He blinked. "What?"

"The goal here is not to catch Dark, not yet. You see, there are two ways to catch a thief: in the act, and in his bed. Now. It's impossible to catch him when he's in action, we can all agree on that, and we don't know enough about him to catch him asleep in his bed. **Yet.** What we need to **learn** about him, and while we do that, stop him from getting his hands on more artworks."

"Like what you did with the Dragon Pearl? You **do** know that it was probably a fluke; you surprised him and he forgot about the Pearl. He won't fall for it another time."

I smiled. "Someone told me something wise a few days ago: _'Because I aimed a weapon at him, he will come back expecting one and be even more sneaky that he already is.'_ "

He jumped and stiffened at that. Looked at me weirdly, and I swear I could see something familiar in his eyes. But I still smirked and continued.

"That made me think, and if he's going to expect a big challenge, then we're going to give him the contrary. No weapons, no police, nothing whatsoever."

"Are you insane? He'll just waltz in and out!"

I laughed. "Please! What would **you** do if you were to go to the greatest party of your life, and found the building empty?"

He frowned. "I... would… think it's being held elsewhere, and I wasn't informed."

I smirked.

"Exactly."

 

* * *

 

 

"Now, here's the plan: there are three museums in Azumano, right? The ' _Dawn Eternal_ ' that Dark wants to steal is held at Grambell. Dark is expected at 11pm. What I propose we do, is divide the security in two: half a dozen men are going at Grambell museum, and assure a perimeter around the building. Nothing elaborate, just the standard thing for appearances sake. And they stay there until… let's say, 11h30."

I looked up at Satoshi. "You're still following?"

He nodded.

"Okay. So, meanwhile, the rest of the police force, including us, the Inspector Saehara, and… well, everyone…. Is going to stay at the Modern Art museum."

"But it's on the other side of the town."

"Yes, precisely. Even by the air, he can't really cross such a distance in less than... Oh, five, maybe seven minutes top? At 11pm precisely, we're going to light up the projectors and all the security you want. Be visible, and loud. Dark goes near Grambell, and sees all the lights off. Once he _'realises'_ there's nothing in there, I wager he'll try to find us by air. Hence the projectors and the noise. He'll think that since we're all there, then the painting must be there as well. And so on and on..."

I leaned back on my chair. "What do you think?"

Satoshi thought about it for a moment, then asked: "How are you so sure he'll fall for it?"

I shrugged. "I'm counting on Dark having smarts under that ridiculous purple hair of his. If he's an idiot, he won't fall for it, but he wouldn't be the infamous Kaito Dark if he was that stupid and blind, right? It's like in chess. Sometimes, your opponent is just too good at playing for you to have four or five moves planned in advance. So you need to be only one move ahead of him. And that move, it needs to be the right one."

Hiwatari looked elsewhere for a second, then he blinked and the moment was over. And then he smiled -a rare thing-, and told me:

"I think it is a great plan. It will give us the bonus of confusing him as well."

I grinned. "It will indeed. And just in case searching the Modern Art museum top to bottom with the police doesn't take him all night, we'll have someone on speed dial to remove the painting from its actual place."

"Oh? Who?"

"Someone Dark doesn't know, and that I trust completely. Someone who won't be in a police uniform, and that Dark won't search for."

He narrowed his eyes at me for a second, then relaxed and shrugged.

"If you think I'm better not knowing, I'll respect your wish." The **for now** was left unsaid.

That would have to do.

Because we weren't done yet.

 

* * *

 

He was preparing to leave, already starting to stand when I caught his attention.

"Leaving already?"

He froze, then turned towards me and- ooh, the raised eyebrow, me likey!

So I put on a coy expression and purred.

"We still have **so much** to talk about…"

Disgruntled, he looked like he would very much like to be anywhere but here, though he still sat back down.

I grinned. Another point for me. I may just have him whipped yet.

"What do you think I should wear tonight?"

He froze. Then looked at me like I was going insane.

"... A... Are you **_serious_**?"

"Very."

He looked lost. It was kind of adorable, really. But I shan't let him squirm any longer, no matter how fun it is.

"I've heard we had a very… ah, **important** guest tonight, after all." Clue, clue, clue coming right up annnd… Yes, he caught it! The very slight widening of his eyes tells me so!

But then his funny expression turned into a worried frown and I sobered up. Remembering my father's words.

_'_ _I don't trust him. When you meet him -if you meet him-, I want you to be polite, a bit naive, and not reveal anything, about anything. And don't even_ _**mention** _ _Sukai.'_

"Is there anything I might want to be aware of before meeting him? Someone advised me to put on the _'well-mannered airhead_ ' persona and play ignorant."

"That's probably the best course of action. My father can be… misleading. Very charming as well."

"Popular with the ladies, as well, right?"

"Very much so."

I raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

He gave me a look. "Very much so."

Ouch.

Oh well.

"Anything else?"

He seemed to think about it. "Don't anger him, or draw his attention. You're the girl who goes give a bento to her daddy dearest. And if anyone asks about our earlier conversation, I came up with the plan, right?"

I nodded. "That was always what my father and I agreed on. And talking about this: our ' _emergency crew_ ' for tonight…."

"Why bother someone so important and busy as my father with such trivial details?"

I smiled, and it wasn't a nice smile.

"Exactly."

 

We spent the rest of the free period in the library in a more comfortable silence. Satoshi had cleaned his glasses, I had put on earphones. Satoshi had opened a book, I doodled geometric shapes on my math notes and was humming under my breath. Satoshi had handed me another book, and I had handed him an earphone -which he had grudgingly accepted at first, but seeing as he was now humming the Reflection…

When the bell rang, I gave Hiwatari his book back -Oliver Twist, who would've thought?- and got my earphone back as ' _Only human_ ' ended and _'Ready or Not_ ' began.

I don't know why, but it sounds…. Strangely fitting.

 

* * *

 

When we got back to the classroom, just in time for History, I took Satoshi's am and asked him: "About tonight… Would you mind if I asked for a ride? I **really** don't want to run all the way there and end up there breathless and useless… and probably lost."

The blue-eyed teen blinked, then with the tiniest smile -he got what I meant!- bowed slightly and answered: "My driver comes to take me at 17h20. Don't be late."

I smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all for now!
> 
> The schedule:
> 
> Math, physics, 2 hours art, lunch break, 2 hours English, free period, History
> 
> Next: H Hour: The Big Laugh
> 
> Please review!


	8. Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The preparations for Dark's next heist, part II.   
> First impressions, deceptions, and suspicions.

Okay.

Here we go.

History's over. I checked the hour (17h05), and went to my locker to pick up my shoes. And while I think about it, I left today's painting in the locker as well. No use losing or damaging it. I put my shoes on with a sigh, took a deep breath of air… I have no idea why I'm so nervous. Is it because I fear my plan won't work? Because of Dark? Anticipation at the idea of meeting Hiwatari's father, maybe?

Or it could just be that I'm nervous because I'm going to be in a car with a gorgeous boy and it's actually just teenage hormones kicking in.

...

Yeah, it's probably that.

 

I jogged to the entrance of the school, jumped and sat on the brick wall. Then, I pulled out yesterday's half-finished drawing, my earphones, and started sketching shadowed wings while listening to ' _Waka waka_ '.

 

When a black, polished limo drove in the alleyway, I knew it was my ride. I added an armguard on my sketch's arm, put my supplies back in my bag, and jumped from the wall and six feet down to the ground. Hiwatari was waiting outside the car. Gentleman that he is, he even opened the door for me. I smiled in thanks before I got in.

The ride was a bit uneventful. I didn't know if we could trust the driver to keep silent, so I maintained a proper distance between the blue-eyed teen and me. And kept mostly silent. I distracted myself by staring out the window, and trying to memorise the path we were taking. Not that I was deluding myself by thinking I could trace it back later, Sukai is the one with the great sense of orientation, not me.

When the car stopped -finally!-, Satoshi got out first and held the door open for me once more. While getting out, I heard him whisper: "My father will be here in an hour at most."

I gave no sign of acknowledgement, but winked at him after getting out of the car.

Then I set out to search for Dad.

 

* * *

 

No matter how hard or how many times I try, I've never been able to catch Dad unaware. He may fake surprise sometimes to humor me, but I always know the exact moment when he notices me.

I'm not even sure if I **really** want to startle him. I don't think I'd like the results.

But that doesn't stop me from trying.

Like right now.

...

…

The pencil I'd been sharpening outside flies towards the back of my father's head without a sound…

… And he catches it without even turning around.

Pout.

"Hi, Kage. Have you had a nice day?"

"Not a horrible one. Though I'd rather be at home right now."

He chuckles.

"Don't worry. If I have my say, our winged guest won't be bothering us much tonight."

I snorted. "It's not **this** guest I'm worried about."

Dad's gaze darkens. A muscle tenses in his jaw. Oh, he's definitely annoyed, now. Why, I'd almost think this is personal. So I add:

"Though it would be nice to just sit back with a bowl of popcorn and laugh."

Dad blinked once.

Twice.

Then threw his head back and laughed.

Danger avoided.

 

Then he took a pack from under his desk and threw it at me.

"Go change before you end up ruining my reputation, you little monster!"

I squeaked when the package hit me and ran away laughing.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Satoshi Hiwatari had snuck out of the building and was sitting in the gardens, staring at his reflection in the fountain with a stony gaze. The black water stared back at him. The young teen closed his eyes and took a deep breath of clean air. Then opened them.

To see Krad's smirking face staring back at him in the water.

_**:: Ye-es, Satoshi-sama?::** _

The teen's blue gaze hardened with his determination.

_**:: Dark is coming tonight and I want you to stay put. ::** _

The curse arched a perfect eyebrow. _**::Oh? Straight to the point now, are we?::**_

_**::I want to see if Kage's plan works. And if you -or me, for that matter- go on and try to protect the actual painting, he will know something's up. So... please, don't come out tonight.::** _

_**::Hmm… Very well. ::** _

Satoshi startled. _**::Wait. What, really? Just like that?::**_

_**:: Of course. There is no use arguing about it, is there? But, I** _ **do** _**have a condition.::** _

Satoshi frowned and asked carefully. _**::Which would be?...::**_

The blonde angel smirked.

**: _: I want you to let me free.::_**

_**::...What?!::** _

_**::Just for a single night, Satoshi-sama. Don't worry, I won't attack your dear Niwa, I won't destroy the city, I won't mess up the seals on any... ah, potentially dangerous artworks. I just want free reign for a night, without having to fight you at every second::** _

_**::... This is about the Sarani girl again, is it?::** _

_**:: …You can call her by her name, I already know** _ **exactly** _**how much you care. And yes… Partly. I do want to talk to her. Proper introductions were never made, after all… But mostly, I wish to fly unrestrained, for once.::** _

_**::That's a foolish idea. You can't fly above the city without being seen, not with your colouring.::** _

_**::Now, whoever said I was going to fly just above your precious human's heads?::** _

_**::Where else would you go?::** _

_**The angel shrugged. ::Why,** _ **ar** **ound** _**the city, of course. Worry not, I won't be seen if I stay within the cloud cover. Is it wrong of me to want to stretch my wings without having a pesky thief to chase? Is it too much to ask for?::** _

_**:: … No. But you** _ **will** _**tell me beforehand when you want it. And you'll get me back to my apartment before dawn. Understood?::** _

_**:: Perfectly,::** _ said the curse dryly. _ **::So, do we have a deal?::**_

Satoshi hesitated. Weighed the pros and the cons carefully, then sighed.

"Yeah, deal."

_**::Perfect! Oh! And because I won't come out tonight does not mean I don't get to watch! I'm quite looking forward to seeing that thief stumble around chasing his tail, so don't you dare lock me out, Satoshi-sama…::** _

Satoshi made a face. Awesome.

 

* * *

 

Half an hour after Dad shooed me out, a bit more comfortable now that I was out of my school uniform and dressed into a shirt and knee-length -yet way too frilly for my taste- skirt, I looked at my hair: brushed, braided in a tight and careful fishtail and tied with a red ribbon. Add a bit of makeup on my eyes and cheeks, and I looked like the second coming of Risa Harada. I added the earrings and choker Dad had provided, gave my image a last look over, and declared myself ready to go.

It was 6:45 pm.

Wearing a nice smile and a carefully blank look in my eyes, I started looking for Satoshi, crossing my fingers to find him before the Commissioner arrived.

I was starting to panic when I saw the clock turning and still couldn't find him anywhere in the building after at least 10 minutes, then when passing a window, I spotted a flash of silver-blue in the gardens. Bless that silly pastel hair of his!

I started running down the stairs.

 

* * *

 

Satoshi PoV

 

"Hi!"

I turned towards the voice. It was a girl in a knee-length white dress with ruffles and a scarlet ribbon on the skirt, red lace around the sleeves, waist, and the hems of the skirt. She had long legs, pale and toned. Her luscious brown hair was plaited tight behind her back, adorned with red as well. She had a crimson choker around her long neck, accenting a nice cleavage. Full lips, a set of dimples, long dark eyelashes… And then I met her eyes, and realised that I knew this shade of green and copper.

...Oops.

She smirked.

"I'll pretend you **did** recognise me at first glance and were just admiring my disguise, but we both know you were **totally** checking me out."

I looked elsewhere, trying to focus on anything, other than the rising heat on my cheeks. I wasn't! And then Krad just **had** to add in his two cents.

_**:: She does have nice legs, though. Don't you think, Satoshi-sama?::** _

…

…

Someone kill me now, my curse is turning into Dark.

_**::Hey!::** _

 

* * *

 

Kage PoV

 

He was surprised, it was plain as daylight. And **totally** ogling my legs. I saw the exact moment when he recognised me, and the blush on his ears at my comment.

"Soo… What do you think? Do I look like Risa Harada's long-lost twin?"

He blinked. "She already has a twin."

"Don't be a smartass. Do I look like the ultimate air headed dolt? Princess Naive and Innocent in her tower?"

He scoffed. "That and beyond. Waiting for a handsome prince to take you away?" He added, snarking "On black wings, maybe?"

I huffed in irritation and retorqued: "Sorry, I'm not too much into purplettes. I actually prefer my men a bit fairer and blonde."

I tried to represent myself in the Phantom Thief's arms like a classic damsel in distress.

"Though if someone put a blonde wig on Dark's head and gave his some basic manners, I **might** just change my mind…" I mused, missing the suddenly horrified look on Hiwatari's face.

"But enough with my preferences. Your father's coming soon, but even with this, we still have a few hours to kill before Dark comes in for the hunt. Any suggestions?"

"Father will probably request some… **bonding time** with me. But otherwise, he should leave us alone."

"Will you need a knight in shining armor to deliver you from your horrible Father's evil schemes?"

"I'd rather my knight not wear a frilly skirt."

I pouted. "Hmph. Cad."

 

* * *

 

When the black BMW with tinted windows pulled over in the alley, I immediately knew this was our special guest. I put on a lovely (rehearsed!) smile, flipped my braid over my shoulder, and took an annoyingly high and cute voice that made Hiwatari's eyebrow twitch.

"Show time, Hiwatari-kun!"

He rolled his eyes. I batted my eyelashes, then made a show of noticing the BMW, gasping, and taking Hiwatari's hand to drag him to the car.

"Come on, come on! I want you to introduce me to the Commissioner! Oh! I heard he was the youngest Commissioner since… ever! Do you think he's going to like me? Oh, I hope he's going to like me! And… And he's coming over here…"

And indeed, a fairly tall, 25-something man in a pristine grey suit was heading towards us. I froze in place and made no effort to hide my staring, just adding an awed expression and a hand on my mouth to hide my gaping.

He had mousy brown hair, styled the same way as Satoshi, rectangular glasses pushed high on his nose, and a happy smile on his face. But his eyes were ice-cold and grey as steel, with a calculating gleam, and I immediately understood why my father had told me to be wary of him.

I didn't like him at all. But I let nothing show on my face, so unless this guy was Cal Lightman, he wouldn't notice.

I nudged my classmate. "Come on, introduce us!" I fake-whispered.

He glared at me, and I pointedly ignored it in favour of making puppy eyes at the Commissioner.

"Father, this is Sarani Kage, a classmate. Sarani-dono, the Commissioner, Hiwatari Kei."

His gaze focused on me, becoming razor-sharp.

"You must be related to Sarani Kurosuke's, then…"

I beamed. "I'm his daughter. It's so very nice to meet you! My father told me so much about you and your battle against that thief, the famous Dark!"

At the mention of Dark's name, his expression soured for a fleeting moment. But it was gone so fast that I wasn't even sure I had seen or imagined it.

I was about to continue with the conversation, but suddenly, a bell rang in the vicinity. I checked my watch and pouted cutely.

"Aww, I have to go, my father will be expecting a bento. Do you want me to bring you something, Hiwatari-kun?"

"Nothing, thank you. Have a good evening."

I giggled. "You too, Hiwatari-kun. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Hiwatari-kun, Hiwatari-san…"

I bowed and fluttered off.

 

* * *

 

Okay. It's 7 PM. Dark shows up at 11. Showtime starts at 10:30, so that leaves us 3 hours to kill, during which I'll have to : buy a bento, contact our painting-switcher, and look out for White Feathers. All while making the Commissioner look the other way.

Let's do it.

I headed south towards the market I'd noticed while coming here, making up a list of things to buy as I went.

Bento (for Dad)

Sushi or yakitori (for me)

Pop Corn (the sweet kind)

Beer (for Dad)

Coke

Bubble tea (for me)

And dessert.

And then something for Sukai while we're at it.

 

* * *

 

Sauntering into the market, I let my mind wander between the coffee aisle and the chocolate. Dark. As always. Dark the flying, feather-throwing, bunny-owning thief. Sounds like something straight out of a _shoujo_ manga. And talking about bunnies, it's still bothering me… I'm quite traditional, religion-wise. I believe in Buddha just as much as any Japanese ought to, but I still have listened to the Christian priest in my old town, and read the Bible. Not to mention that Mom was a devout Catholic, and taught Sukai and me some about her beliefs. I remember thinking that the Bible's demons were just a darker, more frightening version of _yokai_ , and as for angels….

Bah, what the hell.

Even if I say that angels and demons exist (the Christian ones, not _yokai_ and _kami_ ), it doesn't explain what a bunny-shapeshifting-into-wings could possibly be. But the probability of some Japanese folktales mentioning something similar is considerably higher. I mean, it's not weirder than a man-eating _chochinobake_ or a _basan_ , and some _yokai_ are way more freakishly ridiculous. Like _Ittan-momen_. Seriously, look it up. You'll never look at rolls of cotton cloth the same way ever again.

But to go back at the rabbit (I swear, if I think bunny again, I'm going to start laughing like a madwoman in the middle of the vegetables aisle): if I say the Bible is right, then the bun- (rabbit, think rabbit!) doesn't make sense. But if I say the _Shinto_ is right, then where the hell did the white one's wings come from? Doesn't look like a _tengu_ to me. So maybe a mix of both? One an angel, the other a human helped by a _yokai_?

Or maybe they could both be…. But no. I remember White's reaction to things exploding in his wings: the pain had been his own. Dark hadn't had the same reaction at all, more annoyance at the inconvenience and worry for his partner than true pain. So yes, maybe for all they look alike, they are entirely different things. One a white angel, and the other a human on a _yokai_ 's borrowed wings and power? Though I'm still not sure about the human bit.

Oh whatever.

All that theorising won't help me one bit tonight. _Yokai_ , angel or human, it doesn't matter right now. He won't see anything coming tonight. At 11pm, it will be time for Operation Big Laugh.

Mwahahahaha.

On the way back from the supermarket, I checked around, arms full of groceries and mentally slapping myself for not buying a bag. After a bout of wandering around, I managed to find a bench, and dropped everything next to me. I then fished my phone out of my bag and dialled a familiar number.

Beep…

Beep…

Bee-" Hello?"

I smiled.

"Hi, there, it's Kage."

….

"Yeah, peachy. You ?"

…

"Okay, then. You remember what we talked about last time?"

…..!...

"Oh come on! Don't sulk! You're the most important part of the entire plan!"

….

"Yeah, I know. You're still what makes the plan foolproof."

…?

"Hum… From a bench in the square?"

…..!

"I know, I know. But seriously, from where else would you have me call? Your participation has to stay secret the whole time. This is not a bid for fame, it's a mind game against Dark. For now, the secret of your involvement, and your existence, are our biggest assets. So please don't ruin that."

…

"Yeah, I can relate."

….

"What time? Uhh, let me think… Showtime's at 11, so sometime after that… I mean, he's not an idiot, if he sees people wandering around the Grambell museum, he's going to realise something's up… But if you're late, he might be on the return way… You know what? Sneak in at 10.45, take the painting, and hide in the janitor's closet."

….!?

"Yeah, take the painting and take it in the janitor's closet with you. Read a book or something, and then when I phone you to tell you Dark's in the Modern Art Museum, you'll just have to take the painting out of the building, and take the tram to the park where we'll meet with you. That sounds good enough?"

…..

"As you wish, then. Timing's got to be perfect, though. If you get there while Dark's still in the building, we'll basically have brought him his prize. And if he gets back to Grambell's while you're still there, it would be a disaster. You've got everything you need?"

…

"Okay, then. See you later, keep your phone with you, and good luck!"

….

Beep

Beep

 

I put the phone back in my pocket. Checked the hour: 7.49. Okay, next thing to do: go back to the museum, get rid of the groceries, tell Dad everything's taken care of, eat, find a way to pass the time, get ready for the show.

Right. Let's get to it!

 

* * *

 

"I'm back!"

I pushed the door closed with a foot, and put down my armload of groceries on te desk next to my Dad's. He was typing something on his computer that I suspected wasn't related to this case. I kissed him on the cheek and gave him a quick hug while whispering in his ear:

"I phoned our contact. Everything's set."

"Good."

I broke out of the embrace, smoothed imaginary wrinkles on my skirt, and smiled demurely.

"I think I'd better go and rescue Hiwatari-kun from his evil Father's schemes before he strangles him. Later!"

"Be careful!"

Oh I will.

So, where might the Hiwatari Dreadful Duo be?

 

…. Not the meeting room…

 

…..Not the offices…

 

...Should I check the janitor's closet?

 

….

 

Nah.

 

And then I saw a glint of baby blue out of the window and….

I can't believe it! They haven't moved from near the fountain! Oh well, once again, bless Hiwatari's flashy hair.

I ran out the door while making a show of appearing out of breath, wide eyes, blush and all. The two glasses-wearing men turned towards me as soon as they heard my footsteps.

"A-hah ah… There you are, Hiwatari-san! Hiwatari-kun! I wanted to talk to you, Hiwatari-kun!"

I cried while hugging the blue-eyed teen's arm to my chest. He didn't have to fake the blush that came over him. Nor the disgusted expression, apparently.

"Excuse me, young lady. My son and me were having an important conversation."

I gasped, but didn't release Satoshi's arm. "Oh no! Oh, I'm so sorry, Hiwatari-san! But… But! Ah, my Father wanted to talk to you! He… He said it was very important!"

The cold-eyed man raised a mocking eyebrow. "Oh? Did he? And did he mention what it was about?"

" _E-to_ …. He said it was about… About….. Hum….. Te-heh! I forgot!"

(Insert faceplant)

"I… See." said the older Hiwatari once he had regained his composure. "I guess I'll have to find Kurosuke."

"He's in his office, on his computer. It's on the second floor, last door to the left. The room with all the big screens!" I hastily said, mentally boiling at the inappropriate familiarity and the disrespect in Hiwatari-san's use of my Father's first name, without honorifics.

That bastard.

"Is he now? Well, I'll be on my way, then. I'll see you later, Satoshi!" he waved before turning back towards the building, without any word of parting or acknowledgement to me (how rude!).

I gritted my teeth.

Once he was gone from sight, Satoshi opened his mouth.

"Don't. Not here, too many windows." I said lowly with a very fake smile still stuck on my face.

Then I turned around to face him, and beamed. "Come on, Hiwatari-kun! We have so much to talk about, and so little time! You just **have** to tell me everything! Come on!"

And I dragged him further and further down the beaten trails and into the park, which he protested with an obviously fake smile but no real resistance, which meant he was completely agreeing with me.

 

* * *

 

Once far enough into the woods that the air had gone completely silent, I let go of his hand and smoothed my features into my more natural mask. I turned to him.

"Your Father is an asshole, you know that?"

He snorted. "Tell me something I don't already know."

I sighed.

There was a bench a bit farther away, so I went and sat on it. After a moment's hesitation, he followed suit.

"I phoned our 'emergency crew'. Everything's set."

"Your Father?"

"Yeah, he knows."

"Hmm."

And that was all. We sat in comfortable silence, listening to the breeze in the trees. I lifted my eyes to watch the pink streaks of clouds in the purple of the sky. The sun was setting. The shadows of the woods were already growing darker. My head was starting to hurt, so I removed my hairband and started combing through my braid to free my locks from their confines. They bounced around my face in thick curls and ringlets as I massaged the hairdo away.

"Can I ask you something?"

I turned my eyes to him, a bit surprised that he had been the one to break the silence.

"Um, sure, ask away…"

"Why does your hair curl that way? Japanese hair doesn't act that way, and I can see it's natural…"

I chuckled without humor.

"It **is** natural. It's because my Mom was French. I have the same hair as her."

"Was?"

"Yeah. She died a few years ago… In an... accident."

"What was her name?"

"Fishing for information, now, are we?"

He froze. Then scowled. I chuckled. "I was teasing. But I guess I can tell you. Mom's name was Céleste Rossignol."

"Rossignol… Mi-"

"Hikari Rio, I know."

He startled, shocked. "H… How do you know that!" he shouted

"It's on your records." I answered calmly.

"But you can't…. You don't have clearance-"

I snorted. "Puh-lease, give me **some** credit here. Besides, I'm sure you've tried to look at my file already."

He glared at me. I smirked.

"Actually, the only difference between yours and my file is the fact that mine has a big, fat, red _'Classified'_ on it. Courtesy of my father."

He was still glaring. I swear his eyes were almost glowing with anger. I sighed.

"Look, have it your way. If you think it's a violation of your private life, then you're probably in the right, but I swear it's nothing personal. It's standard procedure for anyone suspicious, that's all."

"So I am suspicious?"

I froze. Glared at him, and replied dryly:

"How many high-schoolers are also Commander of the Police Force? Specially assigned, with the Commissioner's recommendation, to the Dark Case? At 15 years old? _Baka_."

I rose from the bench and walked away.

"I'm not asking for us to be friends. I may entertain the thought but I'm not going to force it on you. However," I turned back to him and stared at his eyes "until the Phantom Thief is either behind bars or 6 feet under, consider us allies. Keep any thought of _'revenge'_ and _'retribution'_ to yourself until **after** this case is solved."

And I left.

 

* * *

 

Satoshi PoV

 

_Kuso!_

I snarled. Why did she have to be so damn confusing? Every time, every single goddamned time I thought I had figured her out, she did something unexpected that threw all my assumptions out of the window. She didn't have a grudge against Dark but still threatened to kill him, she wasn't an idiot but insisted on acting like one, she didn't want to befriend me but acted all familiar, she respected my privacy but had read my bloody records! What the hell did she want?

_**:: I guess you've finally realised that females don't make sense, Satoshi-sama.::** _

_**::You know where you can put your comments, Krad?::** _

_**::Now, now, there's no need to be crass.::** _

_**::I'm going to ignore you right now.::** _

_**::You're not being fair, Satoshi-sama.::** _

_**::...::** _

_**::Satoshi-sama?::** _

_**::...::** _

_**::... Aww, come on...::** _

 

* * *

 

Kage PoV

 

Still a bit ruffled, but otherwise keeping both straight face, intact pride, and chin up, I went back to the room where I had left my school bag. I locked the door behind me, took off my shoes, removed the ridiculously lacy accessories Dad had gifted me with, and sat down with a sigh.

I opened my bag, furraged inside, and pulled out my list of facts about Azumano's Local Thief. I re-read what we had written there.

_Azumano's Local Thief_

_Name: Dark (Mousy)_

_Characteristics: Young man, dressed in black, big black wings_

_First appearance: early 18th century, in Dusseldörf (Germany)_

_Location: mainly Azumano, and surrounding zones (with occasional trips to the mainland and Europe)_

_MO:_   
_sends a warning card with target, location and time of the robbery._   
_Announces his arrival by flying around the building, and entering by the rooftop_   
_(Disguises as a guard to trick security)_   
_Takes target_   
_Flies away through a window_

_Targets:Artwork (no particular link)_

_Hypothesis:_   
_\- Dark Mousy is a pseudonym_   
_\- hoards his prizes, as opposed to selling them_   
_\- family speciality/legacy (spans over several generations)_   
_\- lives in Azumano_   
_\- family of thieves? (confirmed)_   
_-family members plant the warning cards_

I added in front of the last line:

_-magic? Magic rabbit that changes into Dark's wings (confirmed)_

_-Dark: human with a_ yokai' _s contract (what does that partnership offer to the_ yokai _? Possibility of breaking the contract?)_

I hesitated for a second, pen hoisted over the paper, chewed on my lip, and added one last line.

_Ask White._

 

* * *

 

_'I'm an alligator! I'm a mama-papa coming for you_

_I'm the space invader, I'll be a rock 'n' rollin' bitch for you~_

_Keep your mouth shut, you're squawki-'_

I shut down the alarm with a glare and checked the time just to be sure. Yep, 10.20. Time for me to go on stage. I yawned, stretched, put my shoes back on, cracked my neck… Then took back my phone and typed a quick text.

'It's show time'

I wandered through the halls, keeping to the shadows, black pants snug against my hips. I had removed that stupid white dress, I wanted Dark to recognise me after all. But that also meant that I would have to avoid the Commissioner at all costs. With any luck, he would think I had gone home like a good little girl. Lurking in empty corridors, avoiding any policemen that came through, I managed to reach Dad's appointed office. I peeked: he was alone.

"You can come in, Kage." he said without turning around. I stepped through the doorstep, and closed the door behind me.

"Any news?"

"Not really." he turned around. "I've had a quite interesting visit from our high-graded friend. Care to explain?"

I sweatdropped.

"I needed to talk to Hiwatari-kun and his old man wouldn't leave us. The dolt-trying-to-be-cute act wasn't working, so I decided to give the dolt-trying-to-be-clever plan a try."

"Did it work?"

I smirked. "Quite."

I cocked my head to the side, remembering my brief interactions with Hiwatari Kei "Though that man is the rudest bastard I've ever seen. Calling you by your first name, without honorifics, to your daughter's face…"

"That can be excused…"

"But not for a virtual stranger. That man is no friend of yours, or of mine, and as such has no right to treat you as such, or me as a pretty object!"

"He did what now?"

"Refused to acknowledge me the moment I told him I wanted to talk to Satoshi and you to him and refused to acknowledge me when leaving. As if I was a goddamned **maid**. It's beyond annoying."

Dad looked at me pointedly. "It's also exactly the goal we were going for at the beginning. Him ignoring and underestimating you is what you wanted, right?"

"... Yeah. Doesn't mean I have to **like** it."

Dad hummed his approval, and returned to his screen. "In life, there is nothing you can have without a few sacrifices. Remember that."

"Okay."

"Good girl. Now go prepare."

"Yeah."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is all for tonight. I have the next chapter half-written already (actually, they were meant to be a single chapter, but it was becoming a bit long).  
> So! Expect me to come back with our next chapter: The Big Laugh.  
> And about the Cal Lightman comment, it is a reference to the show "Lie to me", and it's a great show.
> 
> (Please remember, the blank space under those words is meant for commenting.)
> 
> Bye!


	9. Chapter 8: Operation Big Laugh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark goes in. Dark gets pranked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't update for... like, a really long time, but now that I am in college, that's to be expected. Anyways, I appreciate every little bit of support you show me, and I hope you will like the chapter!  
> (Remember, all this is un-betaed)

  
  
  


Once I got back to the storeroom where I’d left my things, I shouldered my Just-In-Case kit, loaded and belted my weapons. I put on my special (comfy!) boots, tied my hair back into a ponytail, and breathed a deep lungful of air. I checked my watch: 10.45. Right. Let’s go. I brushed a stray lock of hair from my face and behind my ear, and smirked confidently for the mirror. Now, up to the roof, and be careful of any surprises Dad may have left on the way.

 

As soon as I reached the last step of the stairs and opened the roof’s door, I was faced with a rush of cold air that made me shiver from head to toes. Grimacing, I stepped through and cursed under my breath at the frigid temperature. Looking ahead, I spotted a mop of silvery blue hair shimmering in the city’s night light. I smiled and moved to join him at the edge of the roof terrace.

 

“Hey.”

 

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. 

 

“You changed clothes.”

 

I snorted. “Damn right I did. It’s cold enough up there in pants.”

 

I saw his gaze lower to check said pants, so I added as an afterthought.

 

“And about that, where has gone your dear Father?”

 

He shrugged. “He’s here somewhere. Far away from the action.”

 

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. I wonder why you bother putting up with him.”

 

“He’s the one with the money.”

 

“Puh-lease, it’s not as if you used it. You always wear the same uniform -I know 'cause it has a little paint stain on the right sleeve-, and you never eat full meals: you only eat plain bread at lunch, and since you didn’t bring a bento the two times I’ve seen you here, I’m guessing no dinner either, don’t think I haven’t noticed!”

 

“I’m rarely hungry.”

 

“That’s because your stomach is shrunken from lack of food, _baka_!” I huffed. “Honestly, you’re a teenager, if you don’t eat proper meals at least twice a day, not only are you never going to grow up, but you’re going to faint from low blood sugar as soon as you start doing anything requiring energy. Like, oh I don’t know, maybe, **running after Dark!** ”

 

“I wouldn’t mind **you** running after me.” piped in someone behind us.

 

I jumped in surprise.

 

Dark!

 

How long has he been standing there?

 

Oh well, no matter. I glared murder at the Phantom Thief and said to Satoshi next to me:

 

“Hiwatari-kun?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“As soon as this is over, you’re going to eat at least half a cup of greens, twice that in rice and 100 grams of meat, even if I have to stuff it down your throat.”

 

Dark snickered. I felt more than saw Satoshi stiffen.

 

“I can feed myself, Sarani-san.”

 

“No, you clearly can’t.”

 

And on this note, I put two fingers to my mouth and whistled sharply, twice, as loudly as I could. Shouts began to echo below us. The alarms rang. 

Dark made a face, cursed under his breath, then turned around on a heel and sprinted down into the building. I sighed. Spared a glance at Satoshi.

 

“Let’s go. We need to make it to the controls room, so it looks real. Hopefully, Dad is recording this for us.”

 

“... Lead the way.”

  
  


* * *

 

 

I ran through the halls, Satoshi at my back, trying to concentrate on the surrounding sounds. Shouting meant police, which meant Dark was near. Hopefully, it would take Dark a while to search the whole museum, but better be safe than sorry. I made a sharp left turn, jumped over the stairs, and stopped with my nose only inches away from a door. Huffing and puffing, I still knocked politely on the wooden surface.

 

“Come in, Kage.”

 

I opened the door and held it open for Satoshi, who was very pale, with only two spots of bright red on his cheeks to show his exertion. Frowning, I closed it behind him, nodded to my dad, then went to the fridge and pulled out what **should have been** my dinner. I put it all on a table and glared at the blue-eyed teen.

 

“Sit,” I indicated a chair, “Eat.”

 

He opened his mouth to protest; I death-glared him into thinking twice about it. Gingerly, he sat and took a pair of chopsticks.

 

“ _Itadakimasu_ ….” he muttered under his breath.

 

Satisfied -and a bit smug about it too- I turned back to face Dad, who was watching with an eyebrow cocked and a weird expression on his face.

 

“What?”

 

He blinked. 

 

“Nothing.”

  
  
  
  


* * *

 

 

 

I tapped the ‘Send’ button on my phone. The text was only five words long.

 

_ ‘He’s in. Good luck.’ _

 

I then turned my attention back to the screens, pulled out a chair and sat down.

 

“What's up?”

 

“Well, Dark’s run through the fourth floor, avoided the first two pits but fell for the third -you know, the one we put on the second-to-last step of the stairs? Yes, that one- so he’s currently running around on the first floor, west wing, with half the police force running after him, and as you can see….”

 

He showed me the screen the thief was currently on “... he looks quite cross.”

 

Understatement of the year, my dear father. He looks positively murderous.

 

“That should be a good thing. People in a rage tend to make mistakes, to overlook things, to waste energy. Someone who throws a hissy fit is always easier to defeat than someone keeping his cool, even if it does tend to make them unpredictable.”

 

“Quite right.”

 

“Hey, Hiwatari-kun, wanna watch the show with us?” I turned to ask the teen… Who was staring at me with a strange light in his eyes, chopsticks held uselessly halfway from his mouth. Then he blinked, and that light disappeared. He put down his chopsticks and coughed delicately.

 

“Um, yes, quite. Let me just…”

 

“Bring the bento over, you can eat while you watch? Of course you can.”

 

And so Satoshi sat next to me, plate on his lap, and started munching on his food while staring dispassionately at the many screens. With his glasses reflecting the pictures, the food and his blank eyes, he looked every bit the nerd in front of his TV. Oh well. At least he’s eating.

As I returned my attention to the screens, I noticed something that made me frown.

 

“Ne, Dad…. Dark’s awfully close to that fake-wall-thingie you put up, isn’t he? You mentioned yesterday that you would put it near the Doors room…”

 

“Yes, that’s where I put it. I wonder if he’s going to fall for it…”

 

At that moment, Hiwatari interrupted.

 

“What ‘ _wall-thingie_ ’? What did you do to the walls?”

 

Dad glanced at him. “Please don’t worry, Hiwatari-san. It’s just a fake papier mâché wall we put up between two of the doors artworks… It’s covering the real door, you see…”

 

Hiwatari raised an eyebrow while Dad pointed a finger at one of the screens. And indeed, all you could see was a view of two beautifully carved, polished oak doors that gleamed softly under the security lights.

At that moment, Dark rushed into the room. We all leaned forward, eyes fixed on the screen. The Phantom Thief went straight for the spot where the door should be, slammed open the door on the right, and…

 

Crashed face-first on a very real, very hard wall.

 

He landed disgracefully on his butt, wide-eyed, slack-jawed, the very picture of confusion, while in the control room, Dad and me leaned back on our chairs, roaring with laughter.

 

Oh the look on his face! Priceless!

 

At the corner of my eye, I saw Satoshi leaning on his elbows, resting his chin on his crossed hands… And his shoulders slightly shaking, either with a cough… or repressed laughter.

 

I returned my attention to the screen, and giggled again. Dark was opening doors left and right, searching all around the room, while obviously cussing up a streak. The police force finally burst through the room and Dark froze, said something that I’m pretty sure wasn’t a nice word, and turned on his heel before charging back to the fake wall, arms raised in front of his face as if to protect him from a harsh impact.

 

That never came.

 

He tore through the paper wall and the angle of the camera was perfect to see him land quite painfully on the stone floor in a very undignified position. I actually heard Satoshi snicker this time. I sent a glance his way: his eyes were shining with mirth and –dare I say? - a certain amount of sadistic pleasure. Well, nice to know he’s enjoying himself. Too bad the same can’t be said for Dark. I returned my attention to the screen to see him run along the halls, a slight limp now added to his stride.

 

“I wonder if he’s going to last through the whole museum. Hey, Dad? Wanna bet?”

 

“Sure thing, Kage. Let’s see... I bet 500 yen he doesn’t last another floor.”

 

I grinned. “Let’s give him a little credit, here. At least two floors, and if they are anything like this one, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

 

Hiwatari-kun besides me hummed in thought. “He’s very stubborn, though. I don’t think it’s going to stop him from going through, if anything, it will encourage him to continue.”

 

I snickered. “Imagine his face when he doesn’t find anything here, though.” I smiled. “It’s going to **finish** him.”

 

A soft laugh. “Quite.”

 

And as if the universe had decided to agree with me, Dark on the screen tripped on a soap-soaked step while trying to go upstairs and slid down the stairs in a perfectly painful ride.

 

I winced.

 

“Ouch. That’s going to hurt in the morning.”

 

 

Ten minutes into the show, Dad left his seat to take his bento, and put the pop-corn in the microwave -that someone obviously unwilling to take lunch breaks had put there to eat in front of the screens. And then a long, thin wooden something was dangled in front of my nose.

 

Once I was done squinting at it wondering what the heck it was doing there and recognized a pair of chopsticks, I happily took them from Dad’s hand and snatched a piece of omelet from the bento Dad had put on the desk.

 

Yummy -as far as ready-to-eat industrially-made meals go. But hey! Who’s complaining?

 

I picked a California roll next.

 

 

A minute later, when the microwave rang, I got up to fetch the pop-corn. I absent-mindedly handed some to Hiwatari-kun while munching on my own handful, fascinated with the image of Dark slamming doors open in his rush to comb through the whole museum. I commented.

 

“If that’s how he usually opens doors, maybe we should put a bucket of glue on the doorsills next time.”

 

Hiwatari huffed. “Not a good idea, one of the policemen could set the trap by mistake.”

 

“Nah, it’s just a matter of choosing the right door, and all we would need is for Dark to cross the doorstep before any of the policemen”

 

As the chase for Dark continued, an idea suddenly crossed my mind.

 

“Say, Dad,” I asked “Are you recording all of this?”

 

“Of course, that’s what you asked.”

 

“Do you think you could send me a copy of the whole thing?”

 

“Yes of course, but… why would you want a copy?”

 

I smirked.

 

“That’s a secret~”

 

He raised a doubtful eyebrow, but shrugged. 

 

“Whatever. I should probably call in the second group now.”

 

“Second group?”

 

“Yes, this squad is starting to tire down. It’s time we call in some fresh ones, don’t you think?”

 

I stared at Dad, speechless.

 

“You made the Dark chase into a **relay race**?!” I hissed as soon as I found my voice.

 

“Well, yes. It’s only logical, after all.”

 

“... He’s going to notice.”

 

“Actually, there’s a chance he won’t,” said Hiwatari. “At this point, he’s focusing all his energy to run and look for the artwork, not on what the squad is doing. Plus, even if he **did** notice, he’s probably too angry and tired to care.”

 

“... Right.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

And so, as Dad gave orders through his walkie, I watched Hiwatari-kun. There was something about him tonight… Something different. He seemed both tense and more at ease with his body, stood ramrod straight in his chair, but moved with more… I don’t know. Fluidity? Grace? It was very strange, yet very subtle. I doubt someone who didn’t know his usual mannerisms would notice. And there was also the matter of his eyes: I hadn’t noticed on the roof because it was too dark, but here, in a brightly-lit room, I could see his eyes were paler, a strange blue-grey where they were usually a shade between cobalt and midnight blue, and it wasn't a trick of the light. 

 

Curiouser and curiouser....

 

As I was returning my gaze to the screens and picking more popcorn from the bowl, I felt a buzzing against my thigh. Not reacting, keeping my eyes to the screens, I put the corn to my mouth and promptly choked on it as Dark started running faster than before, the fresh squad having -finally- arrived.

 

I coughed around the popcorn and my own laughter, and stood on wobbling legs before rushing to the loo.

 

Once there, and **only then** did I take the call.

 

“Hey.”

_ Hi. I’m done here. _

“Good. We aren’t, though. He still has two floors to go through before we’re done.”

_ Can I come? _

“No, Sukie. That would defeat the purpose of having a secret agent. Dad is recording the whole thing, though. I’ll even be able to give a running commentary.”

_ I suppose it’ll have to do. I’ll see you guys at home. _

“Yeah. Good night, Sukie”

_ You too, sis. _

 

* * *

  
  


After my sister’s call, I returned to the surveillance room and soon found myself yawning. No surprises there, it was already 11pm and I'd been running around all day. Ignoring Hiwatari’s suddenly interested gaze, I curled up in my chair, put my coat over my shoulders, and shifted to a comfortable position -to the best of my ability. 

 

“Wake me up when it’s over, 'kay?”

 

I didn’t stay awake long enough to hear the answer.

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

When I woke up, I was in Dad’s car. I frowned, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

 

“Heyy… “

 

“Hey, Kage. So, **now** you’re awake?”

 

“Mmyeah… Why’s that?”

 

“You didn’t even stir when the Commander shook you. Not even when he carried you to the car.”

 

“Okay… Wait, he **carried** me to the car?”

 

“Bridal style. It was quite cute.”

 

I groaned. “Oh God, I’m never gonna live this down.”

 

Dad chuckled. “Come on, it wasn't **that** bad.”

 

“Urgh. Someone just kill me now."  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please don't forget to leave a comment.


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